Broken Arrow, Slammed Hoop
by Zanza the warrior of shadows
Summary: Kagome has started high school after the completion of the jewel, but it hasn't been all sunshine and daisies. She has been kicked out of three schools and is in her fourth school. Will she be kicked out of this school or will someone help keep her there?
1. New Transfer Student

Chapter 1: The New Transfer Student

He was looking at the student file in front of him. He had just received it from Kaijo. The name on the file was one Higurashi Kagome. It said her last year of middle school had been riddled with absences due to illness. She had managed to keep her grades up and had worked extra hard on her math grade. She had been kicked out of three schools so far. The first had been Seirin, the second Shutoku, and the last one had been Kaijo. He was wary about accepting the girl to the school. It said she had been expelled from the three schools for fighting. It didn't have the story about why she was caught fighting. He would meet with her briefly in a few minutes. He didn't want to judge her just yet.

"Sir, Higurashi-san is here," a voice from his desk said.

"Go ahead and send her in." The intercom went dead and his office door opened quietly.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, *Kocho-sama," the girl dressed in the standard Touo uniform of a short dark blue skirt with a white stripe around the bottom, a button up white shirt with red bow, dark blue blazer and matching vest, greeted with a bow.

"Welcome to Touo, Higurashi-san." She stood straight from her bow to see a slight scowl on her attractive face. "I hope you do not cause any issues for me."

"I promise to try to avoid trouble," she said. He nodded.

"I do not know the story behind the fights, but I hope you don't get into any here."

"I promise not to get into any fights." He nodded.

"Get to class now." She nodded and bowed before leaving the office. She made her way down the hall and to the room indicated on the slip of paper in her hand. She knocked on the door and was instructed to come in. She stepped in and the class became quiet. The girls were giving her a dirty look while the boys were checking her out. Only one female in the class wasn't giving her dirty looks aside from the teacher.

"Good morning class, we have a transfer student joining us today. Please introduce yourself."

"Ohayo gozaimasu." She gave a formal bow. "I am Higurashi Kagome." She stood back up. "I hope we can be friends." The slight scowl on her face didn't leave.

"Please take the seat behind Momoi-San. Momoi-san, raise your hand please." A girl with long pink raised her hand. Kagome walked slowly towards her before taking her seat. The girl looked curious about her, but kept quiet as the teacher started with the day's lessons.

Break period came around and the females were talking about why she was transferred halfway through the school year. The boys could only talk about how hot she was. She ignored them as she slowly ate an apple. She could ignore them. She just wanted to learn and not get kicked out of another school. It was giving her a bad reputation. It wasn't even her fault. It was his.

"Welcome to Touo, I am Momoi Satsuki." The pink haired girl was turned around and talking to her. She was wearing a smile. "Don't listen to them. This is the most excitement we get around here, minus the basketball games."

"I am used to it," she said with a sigh. She tossed the apple core into the trash can on the other side of the room from where she sat without a second thought. "They won't take time to get to know me." She gave a shrug.

"I would like to get to know you," she commented. "The scowl doesn't suit your face and you seem like you would be nice." The teacher came back in and everyone took their seats. It was uneventful after that. She ate with Momoi, who insisted she call her Satsuki.

"I am the manager of the basketball team, so I have to get to their practice now, but I'll see you tomorrow, Kago-chan."

"Alright, Momoi-san."

"I told you to call me Satsuki." Her cheeks were puffed out.

"I know." She gave a slight smirk, the scowl momentarily leaving her face. "Just wanted to mess with you a little bit." She walked towards the back of the school. "I'm going to see if the *kyudo club will let me join." She waved and walked away. She found the club and walked in, seeing the captain. It was a third-year girl that was slightly shorter than her with short black hair and grey eyes. She was yelling at a first year to correct his stance. She cleared her throat and the third-year stopped yelling. Two of the girls started whispering to each other. She recognized them from her class.

"What do you want?" She wore a scowl.

"I just transferred here and I wanted to join your club for Mondays." She had a bag over her shoulder.

"This isn't for undisciplined beginners," she scoffed, a scowl on her face.

"Perhaps a demonstration then?" She raised a brow, scowl gone from her face, and a look of seriousness came over her. "I have brought a change of clothes with me."

"Fine. Make it fast."

She went to the changing area and quickly changed into her miko garb. It happened to match the school's colors. She pulled her hair into a high ponytail before grabbing the bow and set of arrows she placed in there before classes started. She walked out and the captain approached. She looked her and the bow and arrows over before signaling to her to move to a target. The others stopped what they were doing to watch. It was mostly females with a few, shyer males. She went to the furthest target and the captain made to correct her, but Kagome had already quickly pulled an arrow from the quiver and had already drawn it back in a fluid motion. She aimed briefly before breathing and releasing. It struck the middle of the target, and they quieted down. The captain lost her serious face and was star struck.

"That was absolutely marvelous." She clasped her hands. "Such a perfect pose for shooting. And you made it look so easy." She turned to the others. "That is how you are supposed to do it."

"I live on a shrine. It is one of the things I do during festivals."

"But why only Mondays?" The Captain asked.

"I also plan to join the Judo team, the Kendo team, and the Bushido team." The Captain nodded. Practice resumed with Kagome setting the example and the captain yelling, but not exactly correcting them, or teaching them the perfect stance. "We have a meet in two weeks and I can't bring you guys if you can't aim properly."

"Perhaps I can help," Kagome said. She seemed relaxed. She came up behind the male student. "Relax." He seemed to swallow and only tense even more. "Relax." She moved down him and moved his feet and pivoted his hips. She moved his shoulders and brought his hand to properly hold the bow. "Keep this arm steady." She moved back and looked over his form. "Now draw and arrow." He did so as everyone watched on. He placed it on the string but had a hard time drawing it back. She came up behind him again and helped him draw it. "Hold this position. I will tell you when to release the arrow." His arm started to shake but he didn't release it. "Now aim down your arrow and release." He did and it hit dead center. "Good." She gave a slight smile. "Keep that up." He sighed and collapsed in on himself.

"Practice is done for today," the captain said as she looked at the time. "Be here next Monday…"

"Higurashi Kagome," she supplied.

"Right. I am Hidao Naoka." Kagome nodded and headed back in to change.

She was at the gate when she saw Momoi. "Satsuki-san," she greeted as she caught up. There was a blue haired, tanned male with her. He was extremely tall.

"How did it go, Kago-chan?" She was holding a clipboard to her chest.

"Great. It took a little bit, but Hadao-san welcomed be openly. She yells a lot." She felt an arm drop around her shoulders, and weight came with it. "Please remove your arm," she requested, eyebrow twitching. "You are being overly familiar with my person."

"Dai-kun." Momoi scolded. "Stop making Kago-chan uncomfortable." Her cheeks were red.

"Eh? Neko-chan?" He looked down at the female.

"Don't call me that." She scowled and shoved his arm from her shoulders. "I'll see you later, Satsuki." She decided to run home instead.

"What's wrong with you, Dai-kun? You scared my friend away."

"What do you know about her?" He was curious.

She pulled the clipboard away from her chest. "I was curious as well. Higurashi Kagome. Was kicked out of three other schools after about two months for fighting. The circumstances of the fights are not detailed, but she was top of her class every time. The schools were Seirin, Shutoku, and Kaijo."

"So, she is smart but fights. Seems interesting." He smirked. "Doesn't hurt that she has a nice rack."

"Dai-kun." She sounded outraged. He smirked and just entered his house with a short wave over his shoulder.

Kagome made it home. She easily finished her homework while also cooking dinner. She had kissed her mother's cheek in greeting before starting dinner. She was comfortable here. She was fine with only having one friend. Less people to hurt her.


	2. Higurasi Kagome, Jack of All Trades

Chapter 2: Higurashi Kagome, Jack of all Trades

Kagome showed up to class to see Satsuki in her seat. She took her seat and Satsuki greeted her kindly. She greeted her back and pulled out her homework. Satsuki smiled and asked if she had any issues with the homework. She hadn't and let Satsuki know. Satsuki complained about the history work.

"If you want, I can help. I love history," Kagome offered.

"Oh, please," a voice said from next to them. "You're probably dumb." They turned to see a female standing next to them. She had hair that stopped at her shoulder blades. Her hair was a muddy brown and her eyes were so dark they could be black. Her waist was tiny and her ass was noticeable but her breasts were nothing special, but rather small.

"Kagome isn't dumb," Satsuki defended.

"It's okay, Satsuki-chan. I don't need to prove myself to anyone." Kagome shrugged. "I stand by what I said. If you need help, I will help you."

The girl scowled. She didn't like being ignored. The fact she couldn't get under this girl's skin made her upset.

The blue haired male came in and dropped in his seat just before the teacher came in. The girl took her seat and they turned in their homework. The teacher had said they had a test today and passed out the test. Kagome found it easy, so finished it quickly and turned it in before anyone else. The girl that confronted her whispered something about Kagome giving up on the test because she was dumb. Kagome played it no mind. Once all the tests were turned in, the teacher called attention.

"Our next assignment is a partner assignment, so get into partners." Satsuki turned and looked at her. She nodded. The female had forced the smart boy in class to be her partner. A boy was apologizing to the blue haired male repeatedly. "It can be groups of three or four," the teacher added and the blue-haired male flopped into a desk near them, after a boy shuffled out of his seat quickly.

"You were going to ditch me, Satsuki." He scowled.

"Neither one of us is good at history," she commented.

"History is my favorite subject," Kagome said.

"Neko-chan," he greeted.

"Stop calling me that," she seethed.

"Fiesty." He smirked at her. He leaned towards her. "I think we will get along great."

She scowled at him but said nothing as the teacher gave them their topic. They had two weeks to research and put together a report. They decided to go to Satsuki's house on the weekend to do the report.

The end of the day came and it found Kagome at the door to the kendo club. It was a male dominated club with two females. The captain was a serious looking third year male with glasses. He didn't like her saying Tuesdays only.

"Why should I let you join when you won't dedicate yourself to kendo?" He was scowling.

"I am dedicated to everything I do," she said. She dropped her bag, pulled on a protective mask and stood before an older male that wasn't their captain. He was signaled to decimate her, but she easily defeated the male. He grudgingly gave in and watched as she schooled the first years, correcting their stances and having them a bit better. He was impressed, but never voiced it.

Wednesday after school had her in the bushido club. She had mopped the floor with a third year, and the captain boisterously accepted her. She was the first female to join the club.

Thursday, she was in the Judo room. They laughed at her. They were so much bigger than her. She scowled and quickly had the males in a pile on the floor, minus the captain. He scolded them for losing to her, but they all dropped to their knees and prostrated themselves at her feet, begging her to join the club. She did. She showed them a few things before walking home at the end of the day. She was reading a book as she walked down the street.

Friday, she sat in class with Satsuki. The teacher was going to be passing out all the tests for the week. It would be a review day and possible make up day. The teacher was passing out the packet of tests in order of test average. Kagome happened to get hers back first, making the female from Tuesday upset. Satsuki was the second and third was the male that the girl forced to be partners with.

"You had to have cheated," the female confronted her.

"She turned in the tests before anyone else," Satsuki said. "She didn't have the chance to cheat."

The female grabbed the packet of tests and flipped through them to see that every test was flawless, and used aspects that hadn't been taught at the school. She slammed it back down and stormed away.

"What is her problem?"

"There is someone more attractive than her that isn't Satsuki," the blue haired male said as he took a seat. The male had scurried away.

"Anyways, this is the research I have done so far, this week," Kagome said as she took out a notebook. Satsuki picked it up to see the whole thing was filled with notes.

"You did all this." She looked through the notes.

"I had a lot of time to do it." Her eyebrow started to twitch when the blue haired male moved the chair next to hers and threw his arm around her shoulders. "Remove your arm." She was holding back on punching him in the head. "I don't even know your name."

"Aomine Daiki, Neko-chan." He smirked, but didn't remove his arm.

"Dai-kun, stop." She grabbed his ear and pulled him off Kagome.

"Thanks, Satsu-chan." She relaxed. "I figured we can head to your hours after classes on Saturday to write the report."

"You can stay over," Satsuki said. Kagome nodded. "What are you doing after class?"

"Nothing," Kagome said. "I didn't have a club planned for today."

"You can come with me to the basketball club. Dai-kun should be there." Kagome nodded.

Classes ended and Kagome went with Satsuki and Aomine. He had slung his arm around her shoulders and her eyebrow twitched. She didn't say anything. She figured he would just keep doing this anyways, no matter how many times she protested it. She pushed him towards the locker room before walking into the gym with Satsuki. She sat with Satsuki and the coach as the boys started to practice. It was interesting to watch. Maybe she could practice with them on Fridays, even if they didn't allow her to play in games.

"Satsuki, do you think I could practice with them?" She was looking at the pink haired girl.

"Basketball?" Kagome nodded. "Coach?"

"Hmm?" The attractive black haired male looked at her.

"Kago-chan wants to practice with them. Can she?"

"We never had a female want to play," he commented. "I am Haraswa Katsunori."

"Higurashi Kagome." She gave a slight bow from her seat. She looked back at the males. "It seems interesting. I've never actually played. You do not have to let me play during games. I just want to see what a practice would be like." He twirled a strand of hair around his finger.

"I'll humor you," he commented. She nodded and left to change. She had bought a pair of basketball shoes on accident, but she had them on her now, with a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and a sports bra. She easily came out and started a light stretch.

The coach blew a whistle and the team gathered around. "Higurashi wants to see what it is like to practice with us," he stated, signaling to the tiny female. "The team captain is Imayoshi Shoichi." Said male smiled in greeting. She looked at him and got a weird vibe from him. "Susa Yoshinori." He nodded at her. "Wakamatsu Kosuke." He looked a bit pissed about practice being interrupted. "Sakurai Ryo." The male blushed and whispered an apology. "And…"

"Aomine Daiki. I know." The blue haired male sent her a smirk. "Higurashi Kagome." She bowed. "It is nice meeting you." She stood straight.

"Have you ever played?" Imayoshi asked.

"No. But don't let me slow you down." She smiled.

"Back to practice. Higurashi you will be with Aomine and Susa. Imayoshi, Wakamatsu, and Sakurai will be on the other team," Harasawa said. They nodded and got back onto the court. Aomine tipped the ball towards Susa, who made to move forward but was met by Imayoshi. Wakamatsu was trying to cover Aomine and Sakurai was covering Kagome, but he wasn't sure how to cover a female. She easily slipped past Sakurai and Susa passed her the ball. She was a bit away from the basket, but Sakurai was back in front of her. She was dribbling and took a quick step back. She took careful aim before jumping slightly and releasing the ball at her highest point. It moved through the air quickly but went in without hitting the rim or back board. She didn't realize that she had shot the ball from almost half court.

"I thought you said you never played," Imayoshi said as he came towards her.

"I never played. I am a master at kyudo, so I can aim and calculate distance and force needed." She looked to see Wakamatsu charging down the court. Aomine was on his tail and Kagome slipped past Imayoshi and tapped the ball, avoiding any sort of contact with Imayoshi and the one known as Wakamatsu. The ball bounced backwards from his hand and into the ready hands of Aomine, who ran back down court and slammed it into the hoop.

"Nice play, Neko-chan." He was smirking.

"I told you not to call me that." She glared at him as she covered Sakurai. He went to shoot, but Kagome easily nicked the ball, making it go off course and into the hands of Susa. He dribbled down and Imayoshi tried to keep with him. Kagome was in Susa's peripheral view. He easily passed it to her behind his back and she caught it, ducking under Sakurai's extended arms and easily dribbled further down. Wakamatsu came to stop her, but she looked him in the eye and faked left before going right. He had swayed left and couldn't recover. She jumped and easily released the ball into the hoop. They were tired, but she was barely winded.

"You are good for someone that has never played." Harasawa was approaching.

"I haven't played, but I do kyudo, judo, bushido and kendo. Kyudo has helped me to learn to aim. I can calculate distance and force needed because of that. I know how to handle those bigger than me because of Judo. I learned precise movement from kendo and bushido. I can also calculate distance and predict movement of opponents. I also learned quick reflexes." He nodded. "I have dedicated Monday through Thursday to kyudo, bushido, kendo and judo. My Fridays and Saturdays are open, as long as I do not have a tournament." He nodded.

"I think we could use you in games. It will be unexpected." He smirked. She nodded. He had them get back to practice, only now they were doing drills.

When practice was over, they were all tired, but they had a respect for the tiny female known as Higurashi Kagome. She was quick and precise in everything she did. She didn't waste energy with unneeded movement. Her steps were also quiet and she hadn't missed a single shot or pass. They could see a better year with her on the team.

Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or Kuroko no Basuke. I know what pairing I will be doing, but it shall not be revealed soon. Questions that have been asked in reviews will be answered as the story progresses.


	3. Kagome's Story

Chapter 3: Kagome's Story

The end of Saturday rolled around and Kagome was walking off of school grounds with the basketball team and Satsuki. She was scowling, Aomine had his arm thrown across her shoulders and she had complained about him sweating all over her. He was smirking and Sakurai wouldn't stop apologizing about it. Wakamatsu was being loud and trying to get Sakurai to stop apologizing. Susa was shaking his head, mumbling something about a headache, and Imayoshi was smirking. Satsuki was trying to lecture Aomine but he wasn't listening to her.

"Aomine-san, remove your arm," she said, a scowl still on her face. "You are taking too much liberty with someone you just met."

"Don't be that way, Neko-chan. We are friends, aren't we?" He was smirking.

"I never said anything about us being friends, Aomine-san." She was getting further irritated with him.

"Aomine! Leave her alone," Wakamatsu said loudly. He was getting in Aomine's face.

"Do something about it," Aomine told him. "Or Neko-chan can do something about it." He was smirking still.

She scowled but didn't much else. She looked at Satsuki instead. "Mother said I could spend the night so we can finish up the report tonight."

"We have another week," Satsuki said. "There is no hurry."

"I do not like procrastinating." She looked at Satsuki. "And I can help you with any trouble areas you are having." Satsuki nodded. "I will want to shower first."

"You can use the shower in my room," she commented.

"Make sure Aomine-san doesn't peek," Kagome added. The team glared at him (except for Sakurai), but he ignored it. "If not, I might have to seriously hurt him." Aomine seemed to scoff at this. "I have a kyudo meet in two weeks, so I will miss practice that day."

"It's fine," Imayoshi said. "There is no match that day." She nodded and turned with Satsuki. "I will see you guys later." She waved as Aomine and Satsuki walked on with her.

"Behave yourself, Daiki," Imayoshi said. "We would hate to lose our ace." He smirked and walked off with the others.

"Mother, we're here," Satsuki called as she opened the door to her house. It was a beautiful house.

"Sa-chan," her mother greeted her with a hug. "And you brought Dai-kun." She smiled at the much taller male. "And who is this?" She looked Kagome over.

"Higurashi Kagome, nice to meet you." She bowed politely. "I am Satsu-chan's friend. We are doing a history report together." She was standing straight again.

"Ah, you are the one my Sa-chan has been talking about." She smiled warmly. "It is nice to meet you finally. How are you adjusting to the school?"

"Satsu-chan has made it easier for me. She readily offered me her friendship without question." She smiled and she was relaxed. "We just got done with practice."

"Mother, Kago-chan joined the basketball. The team has taken to her quickly. And she is really good at the game. She's really smart too." Satsuki was beaming. "But we really should get to the report."

"I'll bring you guys up a snack." She walked off.

"I can see where you get your looks and personality," Kagome said as they started up the stairs. Aomine was bringing up the rear. "But I like her. She seems nice."

Aomine looked at her from his place. She looked so much prettier when she wasn't so angry and without the scowl. He wondered what made her put up a front. She was so kind, when you weren't mean to her. She was smart and skilled from what he saw on the basketball court. She was willing to help, from her comment to Satsuki. It didn't hurt that she had a nice rack. She was lean and curved in such a teasing way. He could see why the girls didn't really like her and why the guys at school stared so much. But she was much more than that, he could feel it.

"I'm getting in the shower now," Kagome said. Satsuki handed her a towel and told her to help herself to the stuff in her bathroom. Kagome headed into the bathroom and closed and locked the door.

"Satsuki, what do you think happened to Kagome?" He had flopped onto Satsuki's bed.

"I don't know," she said as she sat at her desk. "I wondered that as well." She could still hear the running water. "She puts up a front, but I saw through it. She was lonely and hurt." The water turned off and the door opened.

"I forgot my clothes out here," Kagome said, wrapped in the towel. Aomine looked at her with a smirk, but rested his head back on the pillow and ignored as she walked to the bed and grabbed her bag. She scurried back to the bathroom and closed the door with a soft click and the lock sliding into place. When she came back out, she was blushing but pulled out the notes she took. She approached Satsuki and started to go over the notes.

"Dai-kun, you need to help too," Satsuki said.

"Hn." He got off the bed and approached them. He looked over the notes and had Satsuki move from the chair. He sat and started to type what he saw on the paper. He was done within twenty minutes and Satsuki looked it over for grammatical mistakes and spelling. Kagome read it over, and after an hour, their paper was done.

"Well, we are done with this." Kagome flopped onto Satsuki's bed. Her hands went behind her head and her shirt rode up a little, showing a bit of her stomach and a portion the scar on her hip.

Aomine looked at her and noticed the mark, but rather looked at her relaxed form. She had gotten over coming out in just a towel. He would have to leave soon. He was expected home. "Hn. Night." He waved and left Satsuki's house.

"He is actually really smart when he decides not to be lazy," Kagome commented. She rolled onto her side to look at Satsuki. "I noticed, but he doesn't want others to know." Satsuki nodded. Kagome noticed the troubled look on her face. "Is something wrong, Satsu-chan?"

"I know you were kicked out of three schools for fighting, but they don't really say how the fights started or who they were with." Kagome sighed and closed her eyes before laying onto her back again. "And I can't help but think you are putting up a front at school."

"I would rather no one learn about this," Kagome said. She sat up and pulled her knees into her chest. "When I first started at Seirin, this guy I knew had tried pursuing me romantically. I was interested in him like that and I had tried to let him off gently, but he never seemed to get the hint. He started telling everyone that I was his girlfriend, no matter how many times I said I wasn't. He cornered me in a place on school no one was around and he started to grope me. I told him to stop, but he didn't listen. I ended up kneeing him in the groin and running. He reported me to the school, but they didn't care as to why I hit him. They gave me a warning and nothing was done to him. They wouldn't even listen to me." Satsuki moved to sit next to her. She wrapped an arm around Kagome. "I had told my friends, but they said I was crazy to reject him. So, I started to distance myself from them and avoid him. He somehow lured me into a secluded part of the school. He locked the door from the inside of the room. He approached me and I told him to stop. I had already gotten a warning, so I was trying not to get into trouble. He took advantage of that and raped me." She shuddered, trying to hold back her tears. "I reported it to the school, but no one believed me. My friends said I was lying, that he wouldn't need to rape anyone." She released a few tears. "I had no friends after that. I told my mother and she told the cops, but it was my word verses his. My mother did everything in her power to make sure I didn't get pregnant. I was thankful for that." Satsuki held her. "He tried again, and I didn't want that to happen, so I punched him in the nose after kneeing him in the groin. I got reported again, but they didn't care what I had to say, so I transferred schools to Shutoku. I thought I was safe there, that I was rid of him, but a few months after I got there, he showed up and it started all over again. And it continued into Kaijo. I had acted coldly towards everyone so no one could hurt me or miss me. They didn't like me and they kept their distance. I transferred here and I promised the head master that I wouldn't fight here. I know he will follow me here eventually."

"Ssh. I won't let anything happen to you, and neither will Dai-kun, or the other basketball players." She hugged Kagome tighter. "You have actually friends that would do anything to protect you." Kagome leaned into her. "Now let's rest. You have some tutoring to do in the morning." Kagome nodded and got under the covers with Satsuki.

"Please don't tell anyone." She was already drifting to sleep.

"I won't, unless it is absolutely necessary." She smiled and fell asleep with Kagome.

The next morning Kagome was woken up to a face in her face that wasn't Satsuki's. She scrambled backwards and fell off the bed. She stopped her racing heart. "Damn it, Aomine." She stood and glared at him, hands on her hips.

"About time you woke up." He got up from the bed.

"I like sleeping in when I can," she said with a slight pout. She ran her hand through her messy hair. "Get out so I can get dressed." She shoved him out the door and closed it before locking it. She got dressed in a pair of comfortable pants, a tank top and new socks. She brushed her hair and pulled it into a loose ponytail before opening the door and heading downstairs.

"Sorry about him," Satsuki said. "I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't let me." She was pouting.

"It's fine." She sat next to Satsuki and started to go over some of the things Satsuki needed help on, Aomine messing with the tips of her hair as he listened in. If she was irritated, she didn't let it show.

Aomine was left to his thoughts while he played with the tips of her hair. She didn't tell him to stop, instead she was working with Satsuki. He liked the sound of her voice. She was relaxed, and her voice held no ice. It was nice. She seemed so much relaxed, and she smiled so easily now. He liked the change, not that he would ever say anything.

"You should be good for next week's tests." Kagome closed the books and stood. "Let's go for a walk." She stood and her hair slipped from Aomine's fingers. He stood as well, and they got their shoes on and they left the house for a nice walk.

Satsuki was smiling and laughing and Kagome was walking next to her, Aomine behind them. She seemed so much more natural. He easily came up next to her and threw his arm around her shoulders. She tensed but said nothing to him. He smirked.

"Are we friends now, Neko-chan?" His face was next to hers.

"Stop calling me that." She was pouting.

"You didn't deny it." His smirk widened. She blushed but kept walking.

Satsuki secretly smiled. She knew Aomine would protect her. It gave her some hope that her friend would be safe.

Author's Note: Two Chapters in one day. Enjoy!


	4. Higurashi Taicho!

Chapter 4: Higurashi Taicho!

Monday found Kagome in the headmaster's office. Class was not set to start for another forty minutes. She looked at the male as he looked into her file.

"I see that you have done great so far in class. You are participating, and acing the tests. It doesn't say much else. How are you getting along with the other students?" He closed the file and looked at her.

"Momoi Satsuki has been welcoming to me," she admitted. "She is my friend. I have joined a club for every day of the week. I worked it out with the captains and they are fine with it."

"What clubs?" He was surprised. Surely, she couldn't handle every club and class.

"Monday is kyudo, Tuesday is kendo, Wednesday is bushido, Thursday is Judo, Friday is basketball, and Saturdays are reserved for any tournaments or games I must go to. If no tournament or game is going on, I will be at basketball practice." He seemed to nod.

"I will be checking up on you periodically."

"I understand." She stood and bowed to him before leaving. She walked to class to see Satsuki waiting for her. She greeted Satsuki kindly and took her seat. "Headmaster wanted to see how I was getting along." Satsuki nodded and sat down with her.

"Kago-chan, do you have anything going on Saturday?"

"I will have to see what the captains say," Kagome said.

"Higurashi-san," a voice called from the door. She looked up to see the Judo captain. She stood and approached him.

"You needed something, taicho?" He nodded before dropping to his knees and prostrating himself. "Get up, taicho." He stood.

"We have a tournament this weekend on Saturday. The vice-captain got injured, so I need someone to fill his place."

"Alright." She nodded. "But if I do better than you, I want to become taicho."

"If you win the whole thing, I will gladly step back as taicho." She nodded. "We will meet at the front gate." She nodded and he bowed deeply before running off. Kagome sweat dropped but took her seat.

"It is rare for the judo team to invite a first year to the tournament," Satsuki said as she sat back in her chair.

"We'll see how that goes." Satsuki nodded and they started class. They had already turned in their report when the teacher walked in.

"Who did what on your paper?" The teacher asked.

"I did the research," Kagome started. "Aomine typed up the paper, Momoi checked for grammatical and spelling errors, before I read through it again for accuracy." The teacher looked at the paper.

"Aomine wrote this?" She was surprised. They nodded. "Is anyone else's report done?" The teacher looked around the class. "You have a week." They grumbled as the teacher started with the day's lessons.

The female that hated Kagome approached Aomine, thinking Kagome had a crush on the tall ace. "Daiki-kun," she greeted with a flirtatious smile.

"We aren't friends," he told her with a scowl. He looked her over. "You aren't even my type."

"What's your type?" She crossed her arms under her barely-there breasts.

"For one, you have no breasts." He shrugged. Everyone at the school knew he liked bigger breasts. "Second, you aren't involved in a club that really has any merit." She was in a club that was about finding a rich spouse. "Third, you get everyone to do the work for you." She basically flirted or made the males do all the work for her.

"Aomine-kun," a voice called, and he turned to see Kagome approaching him. The female tried to force herself on him, but it was awkward, since she couldn't reach him. "Coach is calling a meeting." He scoffed at the female that was trying too hard. He walked towards her and walked with her and Satsuki.

"The interhigh starts in about two months," Harasawa said. "We will be having games almost every weekend." He looked at Kagome. "We will need you there."

"I will make sure they give me the time to be there." He nodded.

"That being said, practices will become harder. Saturday practices will be longer."

"Coach, I have a Judo tournament this weekend. I will be sure to be at practice afterwards." He nodded.

"We might have to add Sunday practices." They nodded. "We want to do better than last year, and we will have to do a bit of recruiting for when Imayoshi and Susa graduate. Those practices will be harder. We will find a new captain by then."

"Classes start soon," Satsuki whispered to him. He nodded.

"Get to class. I will see most of you after classes end for the day." The bowed and left, the males surrounding Kagome. Aomine took up his usual position. The other students commented on this, but the basketball team ignored it.

Classes ended and Kagome found herself in the kyudo practice area. She was already changed and a few of the females approached her, asking if she could help them. She nodded and had them take their stances. She did a slight tweak and she managed to get them to remember the position. Hidao had dismissed everyone but her.

"I am bringing you with us to the next tournament. We are only allowed to bring four people. It will be me, you, the vice-captain and one of the second years. It is next Saturday." Kagome nodded.

"I have informed the basketball team."

"Basketball team?" Kagome nodded.

"They are fine with it, but in two months, the interhigh starts."

"When the basketball tournaments start up, our tournaments are moved to Sundays," she said. "So, that shouldn't be an issue." Kagome nodded. "I graduate this year, so does the vice-captain. We will find a captain based on scores." Kagome nodded and walked to the front of the school with the kyudo captain. The basketball team was walking out as well. "Good night, Higurashi."

"Good night, taicho." Aomine's arm was slung across her shoulders as she was absorbed into the basketball team. Sakurai started to apologize for Aomine's behavior. She reprimanded him, in which he continued to apologize. She was tempted to smack him in the head.

The other members walked off as she, Satsuki, and Aomine walked in a different direction. They stopped at a long set of stairs when Kagome stopped walking.

"This is me." She started up the stairs. "I'll see you two tomorrow." She vanished up the long set of stairs.

The rest of the week ended pretty quickly and found her at the front of the school with the judo captain and the three-other people they were allowed to take with them. They got on the train and got off some time later. They walked to a large auditorium. They signed in and looked around. There were seats high up, looking over the tournament floor. The brackets were on the wall.

"You are up first, Higurashi," he said and she nodded. She went to the mat, her team behind her. Across from her was a large male from Kaijo. He was throwing insults at her. She ignored it. She was given the signal to start and had defeated him within seconds. She was confirmed the winner. Her team mates congratulated her. She bowed to her opponent and stepped off the mat.

They watched each other fight. By round three of the tournament, it was her and the captain left. There were three more rounds before the championship. They got extremely serious, the others behind them cheering them on. By the fifth round it was just her.

"You are our only hope now, Higurashi," the captain said. He and the others were on their knees. "PLEASE WIN FOR US, HIGURASHI!" They said together as they put their heads to the ground.

"I will, just stop." She was blushing because everyone was looking at them. "Everyone is looking." They stood and apologized to her. They were a loud group, but she was used to them. She was called to a mat; the other mats being removed since this was the quarter finals. They followed her in a straight line and the balcony had gone quiet and was looking on. There were whispers, but she ignored them.

"You are a traitor, Higurashi," the male across from her said. He was in a Seirin uniform.

"I do not care what you think." She had a serious look on her face.

"I will just have to crush you." He seemed to crack his knuckles. Her was about a foot taller than her and seemed to weigh at least twice as much as her.

"We shall see." She got into her position and bowed, even if her opponent hadn't. She came back into her stance and he came at her. She dodged him. He was angry. She easily dodged around him, before grabbing him and using his momentum against him. She flipped him before moving into a submission. She put more pressure. "I can break your arm in three places if you don't submit." Her voice was low and she placed a bit more pressure before he gave the signal of giving up. She released him and stood. She turned to leave the mat, and he charged her. Her team screamed her name, but she had ducked under the male, grabbed his arm and flipped him, sending him to his back. "Attack me again and I will be forced to hurt more than just your ego." She stepped off the mat and her team congratulated her.

"One more match and you will be in the championship." She nodded. She stretched out.

"I will win," she told him. They took a seat to watch the remainder of the matches. Remaining for the semifinals was her, a male from Kaijo, a male from Shutoku, and a male from a lesser known school. She was scheduled to fight the lesser known school. She stood and approached when her name was called.

"I will win. I am tired of my school not being known."

"I am sorry you have to face me then. You will not make it out of this round." He was way bigger than her, and bulky. He might prove more challenging than the others she faced so far.

"You are small. Judo will always be dominated by the large." They bowed to each other and he tried to out muscle her. She had used her flexibility and size to her advantage. She easily slipped out of every one of his holds. With the final hold, he tried, she flipped him and forced him into submission. "I will admit, you gave me more trouble than the others. You have heart. Please keep training." She gave him a slight smile before bowing to him. He blushed and quickly bowed back.

"Arigato for the match!" He watched her leave. She seemed nice.

The Kaijo male had beat the male from Shutoku. She would call it a close match. She knew both males. They had been captains of the Judo team when she went to the respective schools. They were taking a five-minute break.

"You can do this," the captain told her. "He is a formidable opponent, but you can beat him." She nodded. She stood and stretched as she approached the mat. He was glaring at her as he approached. She kept a serious face as she came up. They said nothing before bowing and receiving the signal to fight. She waited patiently as he looked her over. She was not going to make the first move. He came forward and she blocked before dodging. IT was a longer match before she had him in a submission. He gave and she stood and helped him to his feet. He gave her a bow and she returned it.

"Good to see you are not out of practice," he commented.

"I could say the same for you." She started to head off.

"I am sorry I couldn't protect you." She shook her head.

"It wasn't your fault." She gave him a slight smile. "Keep training and I will do the same." He nodded and went to join his team. They were watching the match to determine third place. The guy from the not known school came in third. The trophy ceremony was a quick affair, and the picture was taken and would be sent to the school.

"Congratulations, taicho," the ex-captain said as he bowed.

"CONGRATULATIONS, TAICHO!" The others said. She blushed but gave the signal for them to leave.


	5. That Safe Feeling

Chapter 5: That Safe Feeling

Satsuki had convinced them to go to Kagome's Judo tournament. They had agreed, and currently they were watching each of her matches. It was easy to find her because she was the only female there to compete. She was in the Touo colors as well. They watched as she flipped males twice her size and forced them to submit.

"Maybe you should re-think upsetting her, Aomine-kun." Imayoshi had a creepy smile on his face.

"Hn." He turned away but went back to watching Kagome. She was amazing. The males seemed to hate her, but in the last two of her matches, she seemed to get along with them. They were surprised when they called her Taicho, but he chuckled. Of course, they would call her taicho. She had this feeling around her that made you just want to follow her and make her proud. He smirked and they headed out front. They saw the Judo team, trophy in Kagome's hand. He walked up and slung his arm around her shoulders, the basketball team catching up with them.

"Good job, Neko-chan." She wasn't startled, and if she was irritated, it didn't show.

"Stop calling me that." She glared at him. "What are you guys doing here anyway?"

"We wanted to show our support," Imayoshi said.

"You never showed the judo team support before," the ex-taicho said.

"Well, Higurashi is a member of the basketball team. We want to show her our support."

"You are twisting my intentions," Satsuki said, cheeks puffed out. "Of course, we are here to support you guys as well. We never know when you have meets. We know now because of Kago-chan."

They headed back towards the school. She wanted to drop off the trophy. The plaque for the trophy would arrive with the photo. She didn't much mind Aomine's behavior. Satsuki made her realize that Aomine would never hurt her. He would much rather protect her. She smiled to herself.

"Is that a smile?" Imayoshi said with a smirk.

"Shut up." She scowled at him, even with a blush on her face. They seemed to laugh at her.

He scowled as he watched her interact with these males. One was overly familiar with her. But he couldn't go to school with her just yet. His father would get upset at him again for changing schools again so soon.

He was sitting at his desk when there was a knock at his door. It was late on a Saturday, so he wasn't expecting anyone. He gave the call to come in.

"Headmaster," he was greeted by Higurashi. She had a trophy in her hand. "I managed to place first at the Judo tournament." She placed the trophy on his desk. "The name plaque should be here in a few days." He nodded and he could see a group of teens outside his office, seeming to wait for her.

"Enjoy your weekend, Higurashi-san." She nodded and left his office.

"Food to celebrate?" She said. They nodded and Aomine went back to having his arm around her shoulders. They walked to a yakiniku restaurant and were seated soon after. She was somewhere in the middle with Satsuki sitting across from her. Aomine was next to her, the ex-taicho on her other side. Wakamatsu and Sakurai sat on either side of Satsuki and the others sat randomly around the table. Food was ordered and Kagome went about cooking for all of them just about. They were having fun. Kagome was picked on by Imayoshi and Aomine could only smirk. She had to admit, that she missed this. She smiled dished out the food as it was ready, Aomine stealing his from her chopsticks before she could eat it. She complained, until he shut her up by shoving a piece in her mouth. It added fuel to the fire. She was blushing but said nothing.

"This was fun," they said as they left the restaurant after paying. They wouldn't let her or Satsuki pay. They went their own ways, and she left with Aomine and Satsuki.

"I will admit that this was fun," Kagome said after a while. "It's been a while since I hung out with some friends. It was great." She was smiling. The look on her face was different than before, more relaxed.

"I'm glad," Satsuki said. She was smiling too. Aomine didn't ruin the moment this time. Instead he let them enjoy the moment. Hell, he was enjoying the moment. It was nice.

They left her at the stairs to her home before walking on themselves. She watched them go before going up the stairs. There was basketball practice in the morning, so she wanted to rest. She told her mother she had gone out to eat with some friends, so she wasn't hungry. She just finished up some other homework before showering and heading to bed.

Basketball practice was going great. They were talking a break and wiping the sweat from their faces. Satsuki was handing out water. Kagome stretched. Coach Harasawa was looking over his clipboard. He was planning on what position she could play in games. She was a good all-around player and could make impossible shots, much like Aomine. She was basically another ace for them. She could play any position they needed help with. He twirled a strand of hair around his finger, before giving it a tug. He was frustrated.

"I don't know what position to put you in," he said, exasperated.

"I will play where I am needed," she said. "I can observe and move to where I am needed when I am needed." He nodded. "Do not sweat it coach." She stood, ready to continue practicing.

Monday rolled around and it found them doing individual reports for history. They were to each draw a topic. She had happened to draw, the shikon no tama. She wanted to do something else, but the teacher was not hearing anything about it.

She looked to Satsuki. "What did you get?"

"The Priestess Midoriko," she said. "I'm not sure where to start." Aomine walked over and sat down as the same male scurried away, used to being kicked out of his seat silently.

"What in the hell is the Tetsusaiga?" He looked at the slip of paper.

"Well, we can go to my place after the kyudo tournament this weekend," Kagome offered. "I know all about all of our topics." They nodded. "I have things that we can use as well."

"Neko-chan, you are such a nerd." Aomine smirked at her. She scowled and blushed but didn't reprimand him.

"Why do you keep calling me Neko-chan. You know my name."

"I know it annoys you." He smirked at her.

"Aomine-kun," she said, causing the smirk to leave his face. He was used to her just calling him Aomine. "You shouldn't annoy your friends." He smirked.

"Maybe you need to get over it."

"Maybe you need to start addressing me by my name." She turned away as the teacher called attention for the next portion of the day.

The end of the day came quickly and she found herself in the kyudo room again. She was helping them get their stances set. Haido was watching, not having to yell for once. The first years were getting better. She smiled. Higurashi was patient and kind. She didn't yell at them and was calculating. She would be the perfect captain. Her mind was made up.

"Higurashi," said girl turned to her. "You will take over as taicho when I graduate." The second years wanted to protest. She was younger than them. Usually it was a third year that was taicho. "You are patient and willing to help. I think, that is what will be needed." She nodded. One of the second years was especially sore. She had been replaced on the team by the first-year female.

"Should we call it a day?" Kagome asked, and she nodded.

"Good work." They bowed and left for the day.

"Hidao, you can't be serious," a second-year male said. "She is a first year. She doesn't know what it means to be taicho."

"I don't think you know what it means to be taicho," she told the male. She could see a second second-year off to the side. "She works with them to help them improve. You stand off to the side and only worry about yourself. And from my understanding, she is the new taicho for the judo club."

"A first year as captain? Not heard of."

"I'll tell you what, should you beat her in points during the tournament this weekend, I will make you captain. Should you not beat her, you will have to accept it."

"She took my spot," the female second year said. "She has only been here like two weeks."

"She is a better archer than you," she commented. "She has been doing archery for years. I am going with the more experienced and better archer, so deal with it. If you can't, you can always quit." She quieted but was red in the face with anger. Both stormed out of the room. Haido rubbed her temples. Why did second years think they were entitled?

Tuesday after school found Kagome in the kendo room. They were doing ranking fights. The highest rank was always the captain, and the second was vice-captain. They did rankings twice a school year, and they were in need of another ranking. The brackets were already up. It would start with the first years facing other first years, second years facing other second years, and third years facing the other third years. From there, they would be alternating in years, until they had their top two. She had easily beat everyone placed above her, and she was currently facing the current captain.

"I am surprised," he admitted. "We never get first years that make it this far."

"I told you I was dedicated." They pulled the helmets over their faces. They were given the signal to begin. It was a close match, but she had won by three points. They bowed and greeted her as taicho.

"I guess I am vice-captain now." He gave her a smile. "I think you will be a good captain."

"Thank you." They were dismissed and she was once again met by the basketball team. It was the same thing with Aomine, and they were once more surprised when she was addressed as taicho.

"You've been busy, Higurashi-chan," Imayoshi said with a smile.

"Well, Haido-taicho says I will be taicho when she graduates." They were surprised, especially Imayoshi. He was thinking of making her taicho when he graduated. He was unsure of who would be vice-captain. But he smirked. Maybe some responsibility will force Aomine to grow up.

"I have bushido tomorrow," she admitted. "It will be my third day there." They nodded. They were used to her.

"Higurashi-san!" Wakamatsu yelled.

"I am right in front of you," she said with a scowl. "If I wasn't deaf before, I am sure being around you will make me that way." He sputtered but quieted down.

"I need help with my math," he admitted.

"I can help you during lunch, but please refrain from screaming so much." He nodded. They bid goodbye and Aomine looked down at the female beneath his arm. She didn't fight it so much anymore. She asked why he did it, but didn't demand he remove his arm.

"What's changed?" He murmured quietly.

"I realized, you wouldn't hurt me," she said, Satsuki was in front of them. She gave a smile. "Satsu-chan said you and the basketball team would protect me. I think I have been missing that safe feeling." He quieted after that and went into his own thoughts. Yes, he would protect her from anyone that would try to hurt her.

Author's Note: Two chapters in one day. Enjoy!


	6. Taicho-in-training

Chapter 6: Taicho-in-training

Kagome was being picked on by some of the females. The males thought she was hot, but thought she had an attitude. The females were trying to point out "flaws" but she was used to that. She used to get that on a daily basis. She just stood there, arms crossed as they called her names. She shrugged it off. They were calling her a tomboy, which was probably true, but she didn't care. They were saying no boys were interested in her because of her attitude. She didn't care because the basketball team made her feel safe, especially Aomine.

"Higurashi-taicho!" One of the judo males called, causing the girls to stop. He was one of the more attractive males at the school. He was a second year that was a head taller than them and was muscled just fine. They knew from his uniform. "I have assembled the team as you requested."

"Thank you." She moved past them. "Do they have what I requested?"

"Hai!" He followed after her to the judo club, females and males whispering about them. "They seem to be worrying." She nodded. She entered the room and the males prostrated themselves on the floor.

"Get up." They sat regularly. She took the sheets of paper from the vice-captain, who happened to be the ex-captain. She looked through them, before a frown marred her face. "This is unacceptable," she said, voice a low growl. They started to quiver and placed their foreheads back to the floor. "Tomorrow, instead of practicing, I will be beating your grades into shape." They quivered in fear. "Vice-captain, today I want them to run a mile for every negative mark, followed by 15 push-ups for every negative mark, 30 sit-ups for every negative mark, 45 squats for every negative mark. If they can still move after that, then I want them to spar for 45 minutes, understood?"

"HAI! TAICHO!" They were scared but it could have been worse.

"Good. Get to class." They scurried quickly, heads down, giving the impression of a kicked dog.

"Is that too harsh a punishment?" She shook her head.

"Just because they are seen as muscle bound jocks, doesn't mean they shouldn't be educated." He nodded. "I will make sure they have a good future. The punishment will strengthen them and make them learn that grades matter as well." He nodded again. "Tough love, but they will be happier about it in the future." They parted ways.

Lunch came by and it found her sitting with Wakamatsu in the cafeteria, Aomine next to her with Satsuki on the other side of Aomine. She was going through the problems with him, explaining things to him in a simpler term. Aomine was feeding her, not that she realized it. It made for a sight in the school. It had people talking. She seemed relaxed as she worked with the usually loud male. The other basketball team members approached and talked quietly when they saw the usually sour female helping the usually overly loud male. They seemed to not be surprised by Aomine's behavior. Did they miss something?

"Thank you, Kagome-chan," Wakamatsu said with a smile. "I understand it better now. I should pass today's math test."

"I'll be upset with you if you don't," she commented, a serious look on her face.

"I won't disappoint." He had a sweat drop on the back of his head. She was scary, especially since he knew she could easily flip him and make him submit.

Classes quickly ended for the day, and Kagome found herself at the bushido club. They had a sign posted on the door. The coach was meeting with the captain and vice-captain, so there wouldn't be practice today. But also on the door was a date with their next tournament, which would be the Saturday after the kyudo team tournament. They had a list of who would be going, and her name was on the list. She just turned and made her way to the gym. She left her basketball clothes in a locker at the gym on Monday after washing it. She easily changed into her clothes before going into the gym. She was stretching as she arrived inside.

"Higurashi. I wasn't expecting you here," Coach Harasawa said.

"Bushido practice for today was cancelled." She stretched out her legs before grabbing a ball and dribbling a bit. She was about the length of the court away from the basket. She paused and shot the ball. It flew through the air and went in without touching the rim or the back board. It went in quickly, unlike the unusually high shot of Midorima from Shutoku. He was impressed.

"Kagome-chan!" The team turned to look at her. She jogged over. "We thought you were at your other club."

"Wakamatsu, what did I say about being loud." She shrunk back. "How did you do on your test?"

"Sensai told me I aced it." He was more subdued.

"Good." She ruffled his hair, and he blushed, but still wore a scowl. "Bushido practice was cancelled today. I have a tournament with them next weekend." They nodded.

"The kyudo tournament is this weekend, right?" Satsuki asked. She nodded.

"We willshow our support of course," Coach Harasawa said. "Now to practice." They all nodded and they started their usual drills.

The captain and vice-captain of the bushido team gathered their members after the meeting was done sooner than they thought. They talked about where they could find her and what clubs she was in. After not finding her in the judo room, the kendo room, or the kyudo room, they went with the first year's suggestion to check the gym. They came to the gym to see a three on three game going on. Kagome was playing on a team with Imayoshi and Susa. Wakamatsu, Aomine, and Sakurai were on the other team.

The bushido team moved up to a balcony to watch. They hadn't really watched a basketball game before, but they could appreciate the precise moves she used. She was able to keep up with the males and was able to throw off Aomine's shots, but he was also pressuring her. She was able to pass to Imayoshi, who passed to Susa, before passing it to Kagome, whom had managed to move around Aomine. They knew she was far from the basket, so was surprised when she released the ball. It went right into the hoop without touching anything. They were impressed. They would gladly watch her play a game.

She noticed them after they were told to take a break. They were heading down the stairs as she approached, a towel in hand.

"The meeting ended early," the taicho said.

"Are we going to practice then?" She was handed a bottle of water by the vice-captain of the basketball team.

"No, we were just going to make an announcement," the taicho said. "Higurashi-san, the coach, myself, and the vice-captain are proud to announce that you will be training to take over as captain of the bushido team. You have the drive and compassion to make a good captain. We feel you know how to make our members better, and that you will be welcoming to the first years next year."

"Thank you." She bowed. "I will take good care of the team." She stood straight.

"We will support everything you do, taicho-chan." They all bowed before making their exit.

"That was interesting," Imayoshi said. He placed a hand on her shoulder and looked at Susa and then at the coach. They both nodded. "I guess we were not the only ones to see what a good leader you would be." His smirk widened. "You will be the captain next year, and Aomine will be your vice-captain."

"WHAT!?" Wakamatsu was steaming. "I have to listen to that guy next year?" Sakurai started to apologize to him profusely.

"Hey, stop, both of you," she growled out, and the two stopped and hung their heads. "Now none of that. We will work together. I respect their decision. You should as well." Wakamatsu bowed and apologized. He really didn't want to upset the girl. Practice was called for the day and they walked out. Kagome was surprised. She was going to be the captain of five teams. They seemed to appreciate her. She smiled.

"Kagome-chan," Aomine said. She stopped and looked at him, surprise in her eyes. The team stopped to observe them. "This weekend at your house, correct?" She nodded, almost dumbly. They weren't sure what he was talking about.

"That's right," Satsuki said. "We are working on our history projects at your house this weekend." They sighed in relief. "Do you think I could spend the night this time?"

"Of course, Mama wants to meet you, and the rest of the team, and Dai-kun." She didn't realize that she let the nickname slip. He did and smirked before putting his arm back where he usually had it. She didn't seem to mind as they continued walking, each talking amongst themselves. They were comfortable like this. She seemed to force a cohesion on them. But they didn't mind. She was kind. They couldn't help but be protective of her. She was like a sister to most of them.

"Good night, Kagome-chan," Wakamatsu said.

"Good night, Higurashi-chan." Imayoshi gave a smile and left. Susa and Sakurai silently parted ways with them.

Aomine made sure she got home safe before dropping Satsuki off at her home. It had been a while since they saw the others. Maybe they would run into them soon.

Thursday went by quickly and she found herself in the judo club, the males sitting on the floor, with books out. They were trying to understand the information, and she would help them, explaining to them in a way she knew they would understand. It took several hours, but she was happy with the progress they had made. Some had whispered about being sore from the beating they took the day before. She advised them to stretch and have a warm soak before telling them they could go. She warned them that she wanted to see progress reports. The shivered and silently told themselves to study more over the weekend, ad to ask questions of her if there was something they didn't understand. The vice-captain came up and nodded. He thought what she offered to them was a good way for them to improve their futures.

Author's Note: A third Chapter. It might not be as good as the others but here it is.


	7. I Would Protect You

Chapter 7: I Would Protect You

The kyudo team tournament was here and she found herself with the captain, vice-captain, and the second year at a building a good distance from the school. She could see the bushido team and the basketball team in the stands. The team manager was standing next to her. It was a mousy, shy girl. She only really looked mousy because of the glasses on her face. She was nice enough, and she kept Kagome up-to-date on everything that was going on in the kyudo team. It was how she found out that the second-year male was upset with the captain's choice for a captain. She would just have to show him that she could score nothing but bull's eye.

The team was called forward to face their first opponent. Sixteen teams had registered, so it should be a relatively short tournament. Each member would be give three rounds with three arrows. The team with the highest combined score would win. She would go last, according to the captain. The second-year male would be first, then the vice-captain, then the captain. She would be able to keep them ahead of the competion. Their first opponent was Rakuzan. They were a well-known school. They were at a disadvantage, slightly. Rakuzan was able to recruit the best of the best. She would not let that get to her or her team mates.

"They are a good school," Kagome told them. "As long as we take our time and concentrate, we should be fine." The captain seemed to nod.

"They are always the top at these tournaments. But we should still have hope." The others nodded. The second-year male came forward. He was against a second-year female. He let her go first. She had tipped the second ring from the center. He pulled back and steadied his breathing before releasing. He hit the bull's eye. She went again and got a bull's eye. He narrowed his eyes, but concentrated. He hit another bull's eye. She seemed to scowl before releasing her last arrow. Her anger made her miss the target. He smirked, but got serious. He remained calm and released the last arrow of the first round. It hit the second ring. The vice-captain came forward. He was facing a second-year male. He went first. He took little time aiming, but each of his shots was a bull's eye. The second-year male managed one bull's eye and two second ring solid shots. The captain came forward and she would be facing the third-year female, that happened to be the vice-captain. Their round end in a tie, of two bull's eyes and a second ring hit.

"It is up to you now," the captain said. She nodded and came forward. She was relaxed as the third-year male came forward.

"Good luck," he said with a bow.

"You as well." She returned the bow. Both turned and pulled an arrow. They released at the same time. His was a bull's eye, just slightly off the center. Her arrow had hit dead center. Again, they drew another arrow and released at the same time. Again, his was just off dead center. Her arrow was pressed against her first arrow. In sync, they drew their last arrow. They released at the same time. Her last arrow formed a triangle with the other two arrows. His was still off the center.

"You are good," he commented, as they both walked from the platform to let the first two back up.

"I can do this all day." She smirked and he returned it.

Their match was close, but with all her shots hitting dead center, they were declared the winner. They bowed to each other. He wished her good luck.

A few hours later found them in the final match. She had taken a bit of time to rub their shoulders, secretly using her miko ki for a bit of healing. It relaxed and healed the muscles enough to keep them on the top of their game. Her natural healing ability made it so her shoulders and arms didn't hurt. The soreness and stiffness took a toll on their opponents, causing their shots to be off. They were declared the winners and the second-year conceded. She would make a better captain than him, but she told him that he was her vice-captain. He nodded. He could be fine with that.

They took the picture and were told the trophy would be delivered to the school within the next couple of days. As they were leaving, they were bombarded by the judo team, bushido team, kendo team, and the basketball team. They were congratulating the team on their victory.

Aomine slung his arm around her shoulders. "You never miss your mark, do you, Neko-chan?" He was smirking at her.

"Is it really that hard to call me by my name, Aomine-kun?" She didn't try to throw off his arm. She just kept walking with the large group.

"Hn. What happened to calling me Dai-kun?" He was looking around them. The other teams were giving him weird looks.

"Are they always like that?" One of the judo members asked one of the basketball team members.

"Pretty much," Susa said.

"It used to be worse. She used to demand he not touch her," Imayoshi said. "I guess she has gotten used to him."

The others had been listening in. They seemed to have a weird dynamic. But she seemed more relaxed than they had ever seen her. Perhaps he would help her loosen up.

They all parted ways at the school. The basketball team was heading to Kagome's house. They were interested in seeing where she lived. They headed up the stairs, getting slightly winded at the number of stairs.

"You walk up these stairs every day?" Wakamatsu said.

"Sometimes two or three times." She didn't seem winded by the stairs. They came to the top to see a shrine, the covered well, a shed and the house. There was a large tree with a rope that signified the tree as being sacred. It was quiet, with the exception to the animals.

"It's peaceful here," Satsuki noted. She felt something rub against her legs. She looked down to see an obese cat rubbing against her legs. She knelt down and petted the cat behind the ears.

"That is my fat cat, Buyo." The cat was purring, but still managed to give her a dirty look. "Don't give me that look. You're going on a diet." He gave an irritated sound before running off.

They followed her as she approached the house in the back. Aomine still had his arm around her shoulders. She opened the door and called a greeting into the house, a middle-aged woman scurrying from the kitchen.

"Kagome, welcome home." She took a quick scan of the group. Her eyes were narrowed. "Who are your friends?"

"Mama, this is Momoi Satsuki-chan, Aomine Daiki-kun, Imayoshi Shoichi-senpai, Susa Yoshinori-senpai, Wakamatsu Kosuke-kun, Sakurai Ryo-kun." Each bowed and Sakurai bit back his apology at the look Kagome shot him. "This is my mother."

"It's nice to finally meet you," Satsuki said. "Thank you for letting me stay the night."

"It's no problem dear," Kagome's mother said with a smile. "I have a few snacks ready." They moved into the living room and took a seat. She was sitting on the love seat with Satsuki, Aomine leaning against the wall next to them. Her mother came in laden with a tray of tea and a plate of snacks. Imayoshi helped her. She thanked him before leaving.

"I didn't know you lived on a shrine, Gome," Aomine said with a smirk.

"I grew up on this shrine," she said with a nod. She sipped at the tea her mother brought out. She was glad Aomine didn't ask the question that had been in his eyes.

Imayoshi looked at the pictures around the house. He could see a young smiling Kagome, a young buy that looked like her, and old man, and her mother. They were all over the house. There were no high school photos. He found it odd, but didn't think it was his place to say.

After a while the basketball team said bye. Aomine was still there, since they were going to work on their history papers together. They moved up to Kagome's room. Satsuki sat at her desk while Aomine flopped across her bed. He thought it was comfortable and it smelled like her. The door was left open and she had gone to retrieve a few things from the storage shed. After getting it, she sat on the edge of her bed.

"This shrine specializes in the story of the Shikon no tama." She held up a few drawings. "These are really old. And have been in my family for a long time. The story goes that about five hundred and seventy years ago, there was a woman named Midoriko. She was said to be the most powerful miko of the time. Yokai saw her as a threat, and so they sought to destroy her. For three days and three nights she battled a horde of yokai until it was her and three other demons left. They were powerful, and she felt her life slipping from her, so she used the last of her power to pull their souls into her body, turning herself and them into stone statues. A pink jewel shot out of the now statue of her where her heart used to be. The jewel came to be known as the Shikon no tama, the jewel of four souls. It traveled through the hands of several miko for about twenty years, before it came to the hands of a priestess named Kikyo. She was a miko of a relatively young village called Edo.

"She came to guard the Shikon no tama. It stayed pure in her hands. She guarded it diligently, but she wanted the life of a normal woman. As long as she guarded the jewel, she could not give up the life of a miko. She was not free to love, or have a family of her own. She was to stay a virgin forever. She kept her distance from people. She still protected them and saw to the sick, but she had no hope of what they had.

"It was a while later that a hanyou by the name of Inuyasha came to her village seeking out the jewel. He wanted the jewel to become a yokai. He was not accepted by humans or yokai because of his mixed blood. The jewel could grant a wish, or increase the power of a yokai by tenfold." She sighed. "He had on several occasions tried to steal the jewel from the miko, but over time he developed feelings for the miko, and she developed feelings for him. You could say that they grew to love each other.

"It was sometime later that she came across the burnt form of a thief named Onigumo. She moved him to a secluded cave and took care of him, knowing that he would die. He came to obsess over her and what she held in her possession. He made a deal with lesser yokai. He gave them his flesh. In return he took their power and made for himself a new form. With his new form came a new name. He became known as Naraku. He had the power to shape shift, and so he tricked the two into thinking they betrayed each other. He had fatally wounded Kikyo. Inuyasha, thinking Kikyo betrayed him, stole the jewel. The fatally wounded Kikyo thought Inuyasha betrayed her and so she pinned him to the tree known as the Goshinboku. He was cursed to rest there until she released him. Shortly after the incident, Kikyo died, telling her sister to burn the jewel with her body, where it would move to the next world with her soul."

"That is a sad story," Satsuki said.

"That isn't the end of the story," Kagome said. Aomine had closed his eyes to listen. He liked her voice. "Fifty years later, a girl appeared. The villagers of Edo thought she was a kitsune that had stolen the face of the late Kikyo. The captured her and brought her before the village miko, Kaede. She determined that the girl was not a kitsune, but instead the reincarnation of her sister, Kikyo. The village had been attacked by a yokai known as Mistress Centipede. She was after the girl. She chased her through the village and to the Goshinboku, where the hanyou was awake. Mistress centipede bit into the girl's side and out spilled the Shikon no tama. She trapped the girl against Inuyasha and the Goshinboku. Inuyasha promised to protect her, so she freed him from the curse and he killed mistress centipede." For the next hour, she retold the story, and they listened enraptured. She had old scrolls depicting it. She would bring it to school as part of the report. If she had to guess, the whole class was given parts of one story. The sensai should have known that the Shikon no tama was involved with all of the topics.

"Hn. Interesting." Aomine sat up and sat next to her. Satsuki had gone to use the bathroom. "Great story telling, Gome." He put his arm around her shoulders. He was really relaxed in her presence.

"Thanks, Dai-kun." She put on a soft smile before leaning into him slightly. He blushed slightly but didn't look at her.

"For what?" His arm didn't leave.

"For being my friend. For not walking away when I was rude to you." She closed her eyes and truly relaxed. It was a nice feeling.

"Hn. I would protect you." He smirked and looked at the time. "I should get going. My parents are expecting me home soon."

"I'll walk you down." She was blushing as she stood. She walked down the stairs with him. She opened the door and they walked out onto the porch. "Good night, Dai-kun." She blushed but still hugged him.

"Good night, Gome." He brought her closer before releasing her. She watched him walk down the steps before going back into the house. She closed and locked the door before walking back up to her room, where Satsuki sat waiting.

"Daiki had to go home," she told her. "I wanted to see him out." She nodded. Satsuki gave her a smile she didn't like.

"You haven't been as cold with him," she commented. "You made quite a few friends. But you are especially close with him."

"And you." She smiled at Satsuki. "You are probably the only female that can stand me."

"They don't know you like I do." She flopped onto Kagome's bed. "I like your mom."

"She was suspicious of the team, but I am sure when they come over more often, she'll get used to them." Satsuki nodded.

"Dai-kun will probably be over early tomorrow," Satsuki pointed out.

"I know. We should sleep then." Satsuki nodded and she got comfortable as Kagome changed. They fell asleep looking at each other.

Author's Note: Someone told me I needed to add more emotion to Kagome's character. She has emotion. She has a scowl on her face most of the time to protect herself. She shows seriousness around the teams because she wants them to see she is serious, but outside of school, she shows emotion, mostly just to Satsuki and Daiki and the basketball team.


	8. Another Transfer Student

Chapter 8: Another Transfer Student

Monday came quickly and she was once again in the headmaster's office. He had the trophy in his hands. "First place?" She nodded. "And I heard that you are currently the captain of the kendo club and the judo club." She nodded again. "You will also become the captain of the kyudo club, bushido club, and the basketball team next school year." She nodded. "Do you think you can handle it?"

"I have excellent vice-captains. With their support I can handle it." He nodded.

"I will admit I had my doubts about you," he told her. "I thought I would have complaints about you, that you would start fights, but you haven't so far. Your teacher tells me that you are her best student. You haven't missed a single assignment. That there is no errors on the work you do. I want you to keep it up."

"I will." She gave him a determined look.

"What makes sure you can?" He raised a brow.

"Because I have friends that will support and protect me, that will have my back and believe me. I didn't have that at my other schools." He nodded and dismissed her, his thoughts consuming him as the door clicked shut softly.

She entered the classroom and took her seat with Satsuki. Aomine was probably on the roof again. He would be in before class started, especially since they would be doing their presentation when class started. She had the old paintings and scrolls in her back pack. They had their portions of the presentation on cards. Satsuki was in a good mood.

"So why are you so happy this morning?" She was humming.

"I got to see Testu-kun." She smiled brightly.

"Tetsu-kun? I don't think I know who that is." She sat back in her desk.

"I forgot you might not have met him." She kicked her legs back and forth. "You will meet him soon, probably." She looked forward as Aomine came in, followed closely by the teacher. She asked if anyone was ready and the three of them stood. Kagome had a bunch of papers in her hands.

"This was not a group assignment," she stated.

"We know," Kagome said. "We helped each other out. If you would let us, we can show you why we worked together." The teacher nodded.

"Satsu-chan," Kagome signaled.

"My portion was on the priestess Midoriko. She was said to have been the most powerful miko around. Because of this the yokai got upset and attacked her in hordes. For three days and nights she fought them until it was her and three powerful yokai. She could feel her life slipping from her, so with the last of her miko energy, she pulled their souls into her body. They turned to stone and a jewel shot out of her chest."

"That jewel was the Shikon no tama," Kagome started. "It was said to grant any wish. A shard of the jewel was enough to increase a person power by ten. It had traveled from miko to miko for years before coming into the hands of the priestess Kikyo. She guarded the jewel, giving up her dreams to live the life of a normal woman. She fought off demon attacks to protect the jewel. Eventually she met a hanyou by the name of Inuyasha. It started out as him trying to get the jewel. Eventually the two fell in love. But that was not meant to be. She had found a burned bandit by the name of Onigumo. He became obsessed with Kikyo and the jewel. He made an offer to yokai. He gave them his flesh and in return he gained a new form and a new body. With his new form came the name Naraku. He deceived both Inuyasha and Kikyo. He fatally wounded Kikyo by shapeshifting into Inuyasha. He tricked Inuyasha by shifting into Kikyo and firing an arrow at him. Both thought they had been betrayed by the other, so Inuyasha stole the jewel from the shrine and it burned down. Kikyo, with the last of her strength, pinned Inuyasha to a tree with her sacred arrow. She cursed him to sleep until she removed the arrow. With her last breath, the told her sister to burn the jewel with her body.

They had explained everything, even going so far as to explain things about the sword of Heaven, Tensaiga, the black pearl, Bakusaiga, Kaguya and her illusions, the incarnations of Naraku, Lord Sesshomaru. Everyone in the class hung their heads. They had covered every single subject.

"Since these three did everyone's assignments, we will have a test on them tomorrow." They groaned. "It is break time."

"Higurashi-san!" A voice called. "You have to help me." It was a girl she recognized from the cooking club. She was also in her class. "Please help me prepare for tomorrow's test. I'm begging you."

"Alright." She gave her a slight smile. "Meet me at the gate after club hours."

"Thank you!" She took her seat as the teacher came back in. Satsuki looked at her.

"She asked for help. I am not one to turn someone away when they ask for help." Satsuki smiled.

"I know." She kicked her legs back and forth. She gave Satsuki a gentle smile and Aomine approached. He smirked down at her. He understood why she did what she did. She may seem tough, but she was a softie.

It was a week before the inter high was set to start. She had got her clubs several more championships. They were on display in the school's trophy case. She was getting ready to meet with the managers and vice-captains of the clubs. She wanted to see what they would need to do before the next year started. It was lunch and she was meeting them in a classroom. She was eating a light lunch she had packed. They came in and took seats with her. Aomine, of course, had his arm around her shoulders. Satsuki was next to her and they started the meeting.

"I have already signed us up for all of the Bushido tournaments next year," the second-year female said. She was a bit intense when you angered her. "We will have to do fund raising to afford the entrance fees."

"We will figure that out, right, vice-captain?"

"Of course, Taicho", the second-year male said.

"The same goes for the Kyudo tournaments," the shy first-year manager said. "I have been working with the vice-captain on ideas." The second year nodded.

"Judo is pretty much in the same boat," the female said.

"So is Kendo." This female was one of the more attractive ones.

"I am sure we can work something out." Kagome sighed.

"Basketball is already funded," Satsuki said. "We always have funding because of our rank at the tournaments." Aomine nodded.

"Alright." She sighed. She leaned her head back as she thought through things. She thought about the girl she took to helping. She smiled. She could work something out with her. It would take more than that, but she would figure it out. "Come up with a few ideas and we will pick this up next week." They nodded.

She watched them go. Aomine was still next to her, and so was Satsuki.

"You are planning something," Aomine said.

"Of course," She stood and they left the room. "Harumi-chan!" She called as she entered the cafeteria. She was smiling, which they were still getting used to. Many of the boys thought she was more attractive with the smile on her face, but then they saw Aomine, her constant protector. Said girl turned towards her.

"Kagome-chan," she said as she stopped in front of her. "Did you need something?"

"I did." She placed her arm around the slightly shorter female and pulled her away with her. "As you know, I am taking over being captain for three clubs, plus the two I am currently captain of. We need to fund our tournaments, so I was hoping you and the cooking club can help me with a few bake sales."

"Of course! We are happy with all the help you have been giving us with our school work. We will put together the times."

"Thank you. This will help us out quite a bit."

"Umm, do you think Shigure-san will be helping as well?" She was blushing.

"I will ask him, but I am sure if I asked him, he would be there." She smiled at the girl's blush. Of course, she would have a crush on a member of the judo team. He was a first year like them, but he was in a different class. He was not as bulky as the others, but he was tall and attractive. Not nearly as tall as Aomine. She didn't think anyone at the school was as tall as him.

"Alright." She scurried off as the lunch bell rang. She couldn't stop blushing.

"Playing matchmaker now," Aomine teased.

"Not really. He may seem confident, but he is really shy around the girls her likes." She felt his arm come around her shoulders and slightly moved closer to him. "He likes Harumi."

"An odd match, if you ask me."

"I don't think it is," Satsuki said. "They would be cute together." She was smiling.

They were hearing some whispers from the second years. They were saying they had a new transfer student. Satsuki looked to Kagome to see she had tensed slightly. Kagome looked her in the eye and she looked to Aomine. Kagome smiled and relaxed after that. She buried herself in Aomine's side and he smirked as his arm tightened slightly. She felt safe with him.

He was new to this school. He just transferred here this morning. He easily charmed the girls and the guys seemed to like him. This was all part of his plan. He would get them on his side. Soon he would get what he wanted. She would be his. He was talking to some second years, but he could see Kagome out of the corner of his eye. She was under the arm of the same male he saw her with two months ago. She seemed comfortable with him, and she was smiling as she talked to a pink haired female. He turned his attention back to the second years.

"Have you seen my girlfriend?" He asked. He was still smiling. "She transferred her a few months ago."

"The only one that transferred here months ago is Higurashi-san," a male said. He was on the kendo team. "But everyone is sure she is with Aomine-san. Taicho never mentioned having a boyfriend." He was suspicious of this male now.

"She actually doesn't know I am here," he said. "Things happened and she had to transfer. It took me a while to square things away before I could come here to be with her."

"Right." The bell rang. They moved to their classes.

She knew he was there but was fine. He hadn't approached her yet. She would be fine as long as he decided to leave her alone. She made it to class and the girl that hated her approached her.

"Leading on Aomine-san now." She was smirking. "Everyone already knows your boyfriend is here now. You don't have to hang all over Aomine-san anymore."

"I don't have a boyfriend," she commented. "And I don't hang all over anyone." She walked away from the female and took her seat. Satsuki took her seat and looked at Kagome, knowing the look on her face. "He is starting this all over again," she whispered the Satsuki. She placed her head on her desk. "It will get worse soon. I do not want to lose what I have now."

"You won't." She smiled at her and placed her hands on Kagome's. "You will always have me and Dai-kun, and the teams. You have so many friends. If you told them, they would support you."

"Maybe." She sat up, seeing Aomine comeback in. She stood and walked up to him before burying her face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, not knowing what brought this on. She was never one to be like this in front of others. He looked to Satsuki to see a sad look on her face. They were hiding something from him.

Author's Note: Here is the second chapter of today. Enjoy it!


	9. Her Stalker

Chapter 9: Her Stalker

She was in kyudo practice when he showed up. She turned and looked at him. They stopped firing their arrows to observe what was going on. She wore a scowl.

"Is that any way to greet your boyfriend?" He asked with a charming smile.

"You aren't my boyfriend. You have never been my boyfriend and will never be my boyfriend." She was glaring at him. "Leave."

"I am free to join a club. I was thinking this club would do."

"You have never fired an arrow in your life," she commented. "What do you really want, Hojo?" She was glaring at him.

"I just wanted to say hello. It has been a while." He was still smiling but there was something perverse about it.

"You said hello, now leave. You are interrupting practice." He turned and left. She got her racing heart back under control. She turned to see everyone looking at her. She went to the door and locked it. She sighed before taking a deep breath. She sat, shoulders hunched. "Hojo may seem charming, but it is a front. I have known him for a long time now. In middle school, he had a crush on me. I had tried to let him off easy, refused dates with him, no matter how many times my friends pressured me to date him. It just didn't feel right. I guess when I got to high school, he got tired of me telling him no. He came on to me, even after I told him no, that I had no such feelings for him and never would. It was not enough for him. He tried to force himself on me. I had kneed him in self-defense and ran. He reported me to the school, but they wouldn't listen to what I had to say since he had more merit with the school. They gave me a warning. I tried to tell my friends but they wouldn't believe me. I distanced myself from them and avoided him.

"I somehow got trapped with him in a room that he could lock from the inside. I didn't want to get kicked out." She took a deep breath, trying to hold in the tears she could feel. "He forced himself on me. When he was distracted enough, I got the key and my clothes and ran and reported it to the school. They didn't believe me. I told my friends and they called me a liar. Hojo was charming, and everyone liked him. So, I avoided everyone. He had tried to take advantage of me again, but I kneed him in the groin and punched him in the face before running. I got kicked out." She was crying. "Only my mother believed me. He followed me to two schools before this one. He would tell everyone I was his girlfriend before confronting me. I was already told not to fight or I would be kicked out. He tried again and I defended myself. They didn't want to listen to a student that had been kicked out of another school for the same reason. I don't want to leave this school." She wiped at her tears and looked at each of them. "I like being here. I like being with you guys, and the judo team, the kendo team, the bushido team, and the basketball team. He will charm everyone and make it so that no one would believe me. But you know me. Please do not turn on me."

"Taicho," they murmured. They came and hugged her. "We will support you in everything, as will they." She cried harder. She was thankful to have them.

Every day he showed up to her clubs, and she lost it on him. She had told her story to them, and they were supportive of her. The judo team had even gone so far as to say they would protect her. Her crying had caused them to cry.

By Friday, everyone was doubting Hojo was involved with the usually angry looking Higurashi. If anything, it was more believable that she was with the usually grumpy Aomine. Some even had spread that he was manipulative and put on the charm to gain trust, when he would just stab you in the back.

She was with the team getting ready for practice when he walked in. He was smiling charmingly, but Satsuki was wary of him. Aomine and everyone else wondered why. Kagome hadn't dropped her front either.

"Hello, I am Hojo Akamichi. I was wondering if I could join your team. I just transferred here."

A creepy smile overcame Imayoshi's face. He had been hearing the rumors, just like everyone else. The coach will give the boy a chance, though he didn't look athletic.

"We will give you a two-week trial period. If you can keep up with the team, then you can join," Coach Harasawa said. He could tell that the team did not like this boy. Something about him rubbed him the wrong way.

Kagome signaled for them to come together. Hojo wasn't included. "Let's go hard," she commented. "I'll be able to keep up." They smirked before breaking. They started their usual drills, only faster and with more skill. Hojo found himself fumbling with the ball. Each change in drill had him gasping for breath. They barely seemed to be breaking a sweat, especially Kagome. She seemed to be keeping the same pace. When a break came, Hojo was red and out of breath. They were just dabbing sweat from their skin and drinking some water casually.

"It will be Higurashi, Aomine, and Imayoshi versus Hojo, Wakamatsu, and Susa." Sakurai took a seat on the bench. The game started fast, with Kagome scoring quickly. They had Hojo cover her, but he couldn't even touch her. She was quick and her shots were precise. When he did get the ball, he didn't keep it long. She easily got it before passing up court to Aomine. He easily slammed it into the hoop. Imayoshi was smirking. Wakamatsu would try to pass the ball to Hojo but it was easily intercepted and shot into the basket. Coach ended up calling it. He couldn't keep up.

"As impressive as ever, Gome," Aomine said as he threw his arm around Kagome.

"You are always so intense, Dai-kun," she commented. She leaned further into him as they left with the team. Hojo was left a sweaty mess on the floor. He couldn't help but glare at the much taller male. He was being too familiar with Kagome.

Kagome had the basketball team come to her house. They moved to her living room and Kagome looked her mother in the eye. She got the message and excused herself, saying she was going to the store for dinner. When she knew her mother was gone, she came back into the living room. She took a seat between Aomine and Satsuki. Satsuki held her hand to lend her support.

She had told them her story, sadness in her voice and on the brink of tears. They were seething with anger. Aomine pulled her into his lap, holding her close as anger came over his face. Susa even looked angry, and Sakurai wasn't apologizing profusely. Instead he looked angry. Wakamatsu was silently fuming and Imayoshi looked scary, like he was plotting someone's murder.

"I will not let him touch you," Aomine growled out. The others had agreed. He pulled her closer. "You did not deserve that."

"No more harm shall come to you," Imayoshi said.

The other's agreed. They spent time with her, giving her silent support. Aomine held her close. They knew how protective he had grown of Kagome. Satsuki was silent as well. They had never seen Kagome so vulnerable before. It made them hate Hojo. The next two weeks were going to be hell for Hojo.

Two weeks passed quickly. Hojo was met with animosity from several people. He didn't know where it was coming from. Even the females were starting to reject him. He wondered why, until he saw Kagome talking to a group of people away from the cafeteria. They were half male and half female. Most were second years, and he recognized some of them from his class. It seemed she had a lot of influence here. He would need to find a way to discredit her.

"Harumi has a list of bake sale dates. I will help her with the baking. I will need volunteers from the clubs." She looked to the Judo vice-captain and the manager. "Please tell Shigure-kun that I request he do some of them." They nodded. "I have worked with my grandfather for further ideas. We live on a shrine, so I would be willing to sell charms. They should be popular." They nodded. "The first bake sale is tomorrow, near the gym." They nodded.

"We should be able to make quite the profit," Satsuki said. "Many come to see the basketball team practice."

"So, with that being said, I will see you tomorrow. Please pass the word." They nodded and left. Aomine had his arm around her still. She moved closer to him. Satsuki was on the other side. It was a Thursday. Saturday was their first game of the interhigh. Imayoshi and Susa would be graduating in a few weeks, about half way through the inter high. They were hoping that they found some good players to replace them.

"We might just have to go with one of the regulars," Kagome said.

"We will see who plays the best. Hojo is gone tomorrow." She nodded.

"I have Judo practice today." He nodded.

"My parents want to meet you," he commented. "Satsuki talks about you all the time at my house. They have become curious."

"We can head to your house after club hours," she said. "We do have a test to study for." He nodded as they walked to class. She could see the female that hated her. Something seemed off. "Give me a second, Dai-kun." He nodded as he moved up to the roof. He had a few more moments before class would start back up. "Is everything okay, Himura-san?"

"Why do you care? It's not like I was ever nice to you." She looked ready to bolt.

"I just do," she commented. She took the girl by the hand and went somewhere more secluded. "You would be amazed at how good it feels to get it off your chest."

"Like you would know," She scoffed. She was being defensive.

"I do know," Kagome said. "You think no one will believe you, that no one will support you, but you would be surprised." Kagome took a breath. "I was raped this year, Himura-san. The new transfer student. He seems charming, but he only cares about himself." She looked her in the eye. "No one believed me, but coming here, I found support and people who believed me, that would protect me."

Himura broke down and told her how her abuser was being released from prison. She offered her support and told her to come by the judo club sometime. She agreed and they walked back to class together. She smiled at Himura before they took their seats.

The end of classes came. Kagome was heading to the judo room, but was going to change first. She didn't think anything would happen, but she had been wrong. Right when she had pulled her shirt off, she was shoved against the wall, a figure keeping her trapped against the wall. She knew who it was but didn't want to get kicked out.

"Stop this now, Hojo," she demanded. She was angry and scared, but he just laughed.

"You won't do anything," he said. "You don't want to leave this school, or that male." He was angry, and she could tell from his grip.

"Why must you keep doing this?"

"You keep playing hard to get," he commented. "You should have already been mine." He was feeling her up and she could feel the slight bulge in his pants pressed against her ass.

Himura heard what was going on and ran as fast as she could towards the gym. She had stepped into the girl's bathroom to use the toilet, but heard what was going on, and the protests from Kagome. She hoped she could get there in time.

She pushed herself harder and threw open the gym doors with as much strength as she could and they slammed against the walls and they stopped to look at her. She was panting and doubled over. "Aomine-san," she managed to wheeze out. "Hi-gu-rashi." She stood straight. "Trouble."

The basketball team bolted from the gym and ran as fast as they could to the girls' bathroom, to see Hojo forcing Kagome against the wall, him touching her as she told him to stop. Aomine saw red. He was across the room in less than two seconds. He had ripped Hojo away from Kagome and stood protectively in front of her as the basketball team took hold of him. When Hojo was out of the room, he picked up her shirt and handed it to her, his back to her to give her privacy. She put it on and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his back. She was crying, but not making a sound.

He turned around and wrapped his arms around her. "You need to go to the headmaster and make a report," he told her softly. "We will go with you." She nodded but didn't leave the safety of his arms. He just carried her easily to the headmaster's office, the judo team looking out to see what the commotion was about. They could see what was to be the vice-captain of the basketball team carrying their Taicho. They got serious and left the club to follow the duo.

Once they made it to the headmaster's office, he set her on her feet. She straightened her appearance and knocked on the door. She was told to enter, and she did, to see the basketball team standing in the room, Hojo sitting in a chair. She took the other chair and Aomine placed his hand on her shoulder in silent support, Satsuki and Himura on her other side. The basketball team looked clearly upset.

"Why are you all in here?" He asked.

"I found Hojo-san in the girls' bathroom, sexually assaulting Higurashi-chan," Himura said. "I ran and got help and Aomine-san pulled him off of Higurashi-san."

"Is this correct?" Aomine nodded.

"It isn't," Hojo loudly protested.

"Headmaster," Kagome started. "He has been stalking me from school to school since I entered high school." She took a deep breath. "He has sexually assaulted me at each school, in which I would defend myself. They school administration would not listen to my side of things, and instead kicked me out. I don't want to leave this school. I like this school and the people that go here. He sexually assaulted me in the girls' bathroom while I told him to stop. I ignored my reflexes, which told me to beat his face in so that I wouldn't get kicked out."

"She's a liar!" Hojo yelled.

"I grew up on a shrine, headmaster. I was raised to never lie. Especially about something as serious as rape and sexual assault." She took a deep breath. "I have not gotten into any sort of trouble since I have been here. I have been doing my best to help others and to make this school a great place to be." He nodded.

"You have done much for this school. You have earned us championships. The grades of several students have gone up, and you haven't gotten into any fights outside of club activities. You have been a model student and a positive role model. I will have to get the authorities involved," he stated. "I will need for you and them to stay for a statement. Hojo-san, you will stay where you are." He picked up the phone and called the authorities.

Author's Note: Her stalker has been revealed! I might or might not be able to get another chapter posted today. It depends on what time I am getting picked up and how long dinner with my family takes. I will try to at least post another chapter tomorrow, if not, then definitely Sunday. Read, Review, and Enjoy!


	10. His Parents

Chapter 10: His Parents

The authorities were quick to get to the school, and many watched from the windows as Hojo was placed in a police car. Statements had been taken and then the police were gone. Aomine had taken her home after all of it, Satsuki with her. He had texted his parents and told them that meeting her would have to wait another day. Something at school had come up was his excuse. They bought it, and instead he stayed at her house, comforting her as Satsuki explained to her mother what had happened. She was crying but sounded thankful for their interference in the situation. She had told him they were welcome to come over whenever they wanted. He was just glad Kagome was safe.

When school started Friday, there was no sign of Hojo. She was in a better mood, and smiling. She had thanked Himura and took her seat as Harumi went over what they had to sell at the bake sale. Kagome nodded. Class started with an announcement about sexual assault and sexual harassment. It seemed like out of nowhere, but there was a purpose to it. They just payed attention before lessons started.

The end of the school day came quickly, and it found Kagome setting up a table with Harumi and Shigure of the judo team. They were both blushing as they set up the tables and sat out the snacks. When it was set up she looked to the ones there. There was five people there, Harumi plus a member from each of the clubs.

"Please help out. I have to get to practice for tomorrow's game, but I will help out when I can." They nodded. They had put out an invitation for studnets to watch their practice. They had even sent an invitation to some third-year middle schoolers. They were starting to recruit now. There were even students from Teiko.

"Thank you all for taking time to watch us," Kagome said. "I am Higurashi Kagome, next year's captain. The judo, kendo, bushido, and kyudo team are selling snacks with help from the baking club, so please feel free to buy some of that. We will start now." The stands above were packed. They went through some drills first before splitting into two teams. They went hard and fast, Kagome shooting from within the three-point range. Both teams were serious and moving quickly.

He and his tall friend were at Touo. The large, purple-haired male was currently buying everything the bake sale had to offer. He was eating them as they entered the gym. There was a three on three game going on, the stands full with people watching. He was surprised to see a female on the court with the males. The purple haired male was watching as well, Yosen uniform on the both of them. His friend had said his old captain wanted him to check up on Aomine. It was a long trip by train. He was impressed by their game play. It was a bit different. When a break came, the usually lazy male moved forward.

"Mine-chin," he greeted. His arms were full of snacks.

"Atsushi," he said in greeting, dabbing sweat from his skin. "You are the last person I expected to see here."

"Aka-chin wanted me to check in on you." He stuffed a muffin in his mouth.

"Dai-kun, who's your friend?" A female voice asked. They looked to see a female with raven colored hair and sapphire eyes. She had a towel over her shoulders and a bottle of water in each hand. She handed one to Aomine.

"This is Murasakibara Atsushi. I went to middle school with him. The other one is Himuro Tatsuya." He took a drink from the bottle.

"Hello, I am Higurashi Kagome." She gave a slight bow before Aomine put his arm across her shoulder.

"I am surprised you play for the school," the male with the beauty mark said.

"Gome is amazing," Aomine said with a smirk. "I have a hard time playing against her," he admitted.

"Oh." His curiousity was spiked. Aomine was one of the better players.

"Care for a two on two?" She asked. She had the ball in her hands.

"Sure." He smirked. She signaled to the others and they cleared the court.

"Since we have a game tomorrow, we will do a twenty-one-point game." They nodded. It was tip ball and the purple haired male had hit the ball towards Himuro. The male caught the ballad n made to move down the court, but the female was in front of him, a serious look on her face. He made to trip her up, but she seemed to see through it. She managed to steal the ball and moved down court, the tall, purple haired male already there. She looked him over carefully and passed it to Aomine and moved around him as Aomine passed it back. She knew the male had good reflexes, so did a few moves before shooting. It went in the basket. She moved quickly, covering the shorter male. The large male came steaming down the court, Aomine keeping up. He was quick for someone so large. She concentrated on his movements and the feel of the other male. She swayed slightly before shooting forward. She managed to steal the ball and dodge around the taller male. She passed the ball to Aomine when Himuro came to defend against her. Aomine slammed the ball into the hoop, despite the purple haired male blocking him.

The game continued. It was a close game, but Aomine and Kagome had won by six was tired. He hadn't had a game like that in a while.

"Gome-chin is good," Murasakibara said as he ruffled her hair. He shoved a mini cheesecake into his mouth. It was his favorite.

"What do you think of the desserts?" She was watching as he ate the baked goods.

"They're delicious," he said. "These are my favorite." He held up another mini cheesecake with a strawberry jelly.

"Glad you like it," she said with a smile. "I made them this morning." His eyes widened.

"Come to my school, Gome-chin so you can always make me these." He ate another one..

"But I like it here," she said. "But I would gladly one day you some." He nodded and wrote his address down. She took it. "It was fun playing with you," she said with a smile and he nodded after shoving another dessert in his mouth. He turned and left with Himuro, whomwas lecturing him about inviting random people to their school. He didn't seem to be listening.

"Thank you all for coming," Kagome addressed the crowd. "If you are interested in joining the basketball team, please come see me." The stands started to empty, Satsuki was standing next to her. Aomine's arm was in its customary place again. Many were approaching. It was a few first and second years, but most of them were middle school students. They wanted to get as good as they were.

Murasakibara stood in front of a red-haired male with red slitted eyes. He was still snacking.

"How is Daiki doing?"

"He seems to be doing well." He looked in the bag to see he was out of dessert. He made a sound of discontent. "He's gotten close to a girl. Gome-chin is amazing. She bakes and plays basketball."

"A girl playing for Touo?" He nodded.

"She is to be the captain next year and Mine-chin is her vice-captain. She managed to stop me in a quick game." He ran his hand through his hair. "She is an amazing player. They have a game' tomorrow against Seirin."

"Oh." He seemed surprised. Seirin had won and lost to Touo before. His money was on Seirin winning. "Perhaps we should go watch that game." He wanted to see the outcome of the game.

She asked Harumi how they had done. It turned out that they had sold out because of a purple giant. She laughed to herself. They had made quite a bit of money. It was enough for each to afford the first tournament of the year. She congratulated them. They seemed ready to go so they parted ways. Aomine had his arm around her shoulders and he walked home with Satsuki and Kagome. Kagome was going to meet his parents. He wasn't sure if they were dating or not. Everyone said they were but he hadn't talked to her about it. He would need to do that soon, especially with the dreams he had been having.

His dreams often consisted of him and Kagome. The last one was of him and Kagome. He had been kissing her, her naked form in his arms. He was equally naked. He wasn't sure how they had gotten naked, but she was beautiful. She was blushing and acting shy. He just smirked at her before kissing her again. It had started to get heated when his alarm had gone off, waking him up. He was panting. Before his dreams were interesting enough. Her interacting with his old team mates, her cooking food for him, them walking through a park after school, playing basketball games together. Nothing quite like the dream he had last night. He was sure if he had been able to sleep in, it would have progressed to sex. He wanted to keep his dreams under control, but he was confused to what his relationship was with Kagome. He knew he was protective of her and that she was his type of girl in all aspects. He really needed to talk to her about it.

Kagome looked up at him. He seemed out of it. His arm was still around her, bringing her closer to him. "Dai-kun, are you okay?"

"Hn." He looked at her. "Just thinking."

"About?" She was trying to gently prod him. Satsuki was next to them. She seemed to be minding her own business. "Satsuki, we'll see you tomorrow." She nodded, seeing the look in her eyes and noticing how Aomine was behaving. She moved ahead of them while Kagome steered them into a park. This park was often in his dreams. She found them a secluded space and they sat down. She made it so that he was laying down, head in her lap and she was running her fingers through his hair. "What is on your mind, Dai-kun?"

"What are we?" He asked as he relaxed at the feel of her fingers going through his hair.

"What do you think we are?" She hadn't really thought about it. She was comfortable with him and felt safe in his presences.

"I know we are friends. I know I am protective of you. I know I don't want to see you hurt or vulnerable again." He looked at her face. She seemed to be thinking too. "Everyone thinks we are dating."

"Do you want to date me?" She looked down at him.

"I want more than that, but I don't want to force anything on you." He sat up. He looked her in the eyes.

"I like you too," she admitted. "I haven't dated anyone before," she admitted.

"Neither have I." He held her hand.

"We can figure it out together." She smiled at him before giving him a kiss on the cheek. They stood and made their way out of the park. His arm was back around her shoulders and she had her arm around his waist. She was blushing and so was he. She was smiling though and he had a smirk.

They made it to his house and they moved inside. It was a nice enough house. His parents were in the dining room. His mother was sipping on tea and his father was reading a newspaper. He greeted them and they stood.

"Mother, Father, this is Higurashi Kagome, my girlfriend." He signaled to her.

"It is nice to meet you." She bowed to them. She smiled.

"Sa-chan speaks highly of you," his mother stated. She smiled as she looked her over. She was taller than Satsuki. She seemed to be her son's type. "She says you help her and my Dai-kun with homework and tests." She nodded.

"I like helping people," she said.

"She also said you were on the basketball team," his father added.

"I am." She nodded.

"You are to be the captain and Dai-kun is to be your vice-captain." She nodded.

"Kagome is special," Aomine said. "She is to be the captain of five teams next year."

"Are you sure you will have time for Dai-kun?" His mother was curious.

"Yes. I have great vice-captains that will be helping me. I will always make time for him and Satsu-chan." She smiled. "I can also cook." His mother's eyes widened.

"Sa-chan can't cook." She remembered the time Daiki had told her Satsuki hadn't cut up the lemons in the honey soaked lemons.

"If you want, I can cook dinner."

"Maybe next time," his mother said, still not trusting a high school girl to cook. They were a bit privileged these days.

"I should get her home," Aomine said, "It is getting late and we have a game tomorrow." His parents nodded.

"It was nice meeting you. We hope to see you again soon." She nodded and bowed before leaving with Daiki.


	11. Touo Versus Seirin

Chapter 11: Touo Versus Seirin

Kagome had baked more mini strawberry cheesecakes, having the feeling that she would be encountering the tall male. She had cut up lemons and placed them in the honey marinate. She had a few other things made. She was in her basketball uniform and sweat suit. Her bag was packed with a few medical supplies, including ice packs, the lemons, the cheesecake and some other things that help with energy and recovery. Her doorbell rang. She threw her bag over her shoulder and ran to the front door. She opened it to see Daiki and Satsuki. She pulled on her shoes and screamed into the house.

"I'm going now, mama! I'll be home later." She didn't wait for a reply before closing the door and leaving. Daiki's arm came around her and she wrapped her own arm around his waist. Satsuki was surprised but smiled. She walked next to them as they seemed to blend in with the rest of the basketball team at their usual split point. They seemed surprised by the change as well, but didn't say anything. They made it to the train station and got on, getting off once they reached the stop that would take them to the game. They made it to the large building. She could see the large male from Friday. He was with his friend.

"Mine-chin, Gome-chin," he greeted. He was eating snacks.

"Hello, Atsushi-kun," Kagome greeted. "I had a feeling I would see you today." She placed her bag on the floor before opening it and rummaging through it. She found what she was looking for and pulled it out before zipping up her bag. She stood and held out the container to him. He took it from her and looked inside it to see the cheesecakes and some other desserts that looked delicious. He added it to his snacks.

"Thanks, Gome-chin." He ruffled her hair. She hadn't put it up in a ponytail yet.

"You're welcome." She smiled at him. "We have to get to our locker room now." He nodded. "I'll see you guys later." They headed into the building and found the locker room with their name on it. They placed their bags down. Coach was already there. He was looking at them, and they were talking. Kagome grabbed a comb and a few hair ties from her bag. She pulled her hair into a high ponytail before braiding it. She had wrist bands on. "Satsuki, can you take my bag out when we play?" She nodded, not sure why Kagome would want her bag out there.

"We are facing Seirin today," Coach said. "We lost to them once before, but have been practicing hard. Let's show them how much we have improved." They nodded. "We have thirty minutes until our warm up. They are not expecting you, Kagome, so take it easy on the warm up. We don't want them to know what you can do until the game starts." She nodded. She just moved to a corner.

"Give me a few moments," she said before taking a meditative pose. She closed her eyes and slowed her heart and breathing. They talked quietly, not sure why she was doing this. Aomine flopped across a bench, closing his eyes. Satsuki looked around the room. Daiki was actually on time, and probably will always be since Kagome joined the team. She knew the dynamic with the two had changed. She was fine with that. She was happy for him.

They sat in the locker room. Kiyoshi had gotten better and so came back to the team. They were stoked to have their first game of the interhigh, even if it was against Touo. They knew it was going to be a good game. They were excited, especially Kagami. He wanted his rematch against the blue haired male. They were not prepared to face a girl.

The ten-minute warm up came quickly. Both teams were out in their basketball uniform.

"Touo got a new member," Hyuga pointed out. Aida was looking at her. She couldn't really read her stats, which made her nervous. She was taking simple shots and wasn't doing anything impressive. She wasn't sure what to think. They did know that Touo had unusually more people in the stands from the signs. Most of them were holding signs for number 8. The girl had the number on her jersey. It was weird. The ten minutes passed and they returned to their locker rooms.

"Could you pick anything up from her, Riko?" Teppei asked.

"No." She shook her head. "She wasn't doing anything special. She could be there just as a backup."

"I couldn't help but notice she had several fans in the stands," Kuroko pointed out.

"We beat them last time with Teppei," Hyuga pointed out. "We should be able to beat them again."

"Kuroko won't be as affective," Kagami pointed out.

"We should be fine," Kuroko said. "I have been improving my game." They nodded. Their mascot was sitting on the floor, wagging his tail.

"We will just have to see." She looked serious. The girl looked familiar to her.

The game came and they headed out, bowing to each other before returning to the benches. They pulled off their sweats. This would be there last chance to warm-up. Kagome was observing the opposing team, taking in the feel of their aura. It would come in handy during the game if she knew the feel of each member. She was already used to the feel of her team's aura. She could hear the screams for her team, even though the game hadn't even started. She stretched and concentrated before taking a few shots. The jumpers were called forward and Aomine came forward. She was sitting on the bench. She had told the coach she would come in during the second quarter so that she could see how the other team played. It was a bit fast paced and Daiki easily handled the red-haired male with a bad attitude. The light blue-haired male was able to pass around them, but she knew why right away.

The game was close when the first quarter ended. Seirin was up five points. She stood and took off her sweat suit. Sakurai was told to take a seat. He didn't apologize, and instead wished her luck. The light blue-haired male sat out this time. She concentrated and steadied her heart.

"Shall we show them what we are capable of?" She was smiling. They nodded and came back out with a smirk before getting serious.

"Now you shall see what our captain in capable of." Imayoshi said with a smirk.

"We thought you were the captain," Hyuga said.

"I am turning over the reins to Higurashi," He said with a smirk.

They game started and the ball was passed to the female, chants for Touo being heard. She easily dribbled the ball showing some good handling as she moved down the court, easily passing by the other players. She saw the tall center and smirked before going around him. She faked a left before going up for a shot. It went in with no issues. They were surprised by her game play. She wasn't going that fast, but her maneuvering was different than what they were expecting. They passed to Teppei, who did a cross court pass towards Kagami, but it had been intercepted by the female, who was able to jump higher than anticipated. She easily passed the ball to Daiki. He moved down the court easily, Kagami chasing after him. Kagome got into position and he passed to her, before she took the shot in the three-point area. They were surprised by the lack of arc, even though it still went in. The game was tied.

"I wasn't anticipating her," Aida said as she looked over the female. Her numbers were fluctuating, not allowing her to get an accurate reading. She was proving to be impressive. How were they going to handle the female? Aomine already gave them issues.

Izuki went to take her on with his eagle eye. He made to attack but she seemed to see through him. She moved the ball quicker, even though the rest of her body stayed the same speed. She dodged around Hyuga and passed to Aomine as he leapt through the air, the red-haired male trying to stop him. Aomine smirked and passed the ball down to Kagome who easily put it into the basket.

"They are showing a cohesiveness with her," Kuroko said. "I did not think him possible of being a team player."

The scores were still close, but Touo was up by seven at half time. They sat on the benches and Kagome grabbed a container from her bag, opening it. The team passed it around, taking a few slices before giving it to the next person. Kagome ate a few slices and looked them over. She approached Aomine, seeing the stress in his knees. She knelt in front of him and massaged his knees, sending her healing energy into his knees before wrapping them. She patted his knee and he sent her a smirk. She went back to looking them over. The others seemed fine, just in need of energy recovery. She pulled out another container and a stack of disposable cups. She poured the drink from the thermos and handed it out. They were confused, but drank it. They felt revitalized.

"This is a bit tough," Teppei admitted.

"You are doing great," Riko told him. "You are covering the center just fine."

"I don't think they have given us everything," Kuroko said, looking over to the Touo bench. He could see number 8 taking care of the others. She had been massaging Aomine's knees before wrapping his knees. They were eating lemon and took a drink of something. "She doesn't seem tired," he pointed out. "And the others have already regained their breath." They looked to the Touo bench. They seemed fine and re-energized.

The break period ended and they stood from the bench, heading towards the court. "Shall we take it up a knotch?" They smirked and nodded. Seirin passed in the ball and the game started. It was passed to Kagami. He moved down the court, dodging around Touo players until he approached Kagome. He smirked, thinking he could easily pass her and score. She smirked, and in a precise move, stole the ball from him. She was down the court in seconds. She shot the ball and Teppei tried to block, only to miss. He couldn't understand her shots. They didn't arc nearly as much as a regular shot.

They threw the ball down court to Kagami, who was looking to do his meteor jam. Aomine smirked and managed to block the shot. Kagome got the rebound and moved down court. She could feel Seirin trying to catch up. She took her shot at half court. They looked shocked as the ball went through the hoop without touching anything. Teppei passed the ball to Hyuga. He wanted to slow down the pace. Touo was not having it. Imayoshi had stolen the ball from him, passing it to Wakamatsu, who was able to score. It went on, Seririn barely scoring as Touo's score started to climb.

The fourth quarter started up. Kagami had gone into the zone, as did Aomine. It was a sight to see. Kagome sighed and centered herself. Her eyes closed slightly and she followed after the two at an incredible and increasing speed. Both were slamming the ball in. She could see the difference in play and the other teammates stayed to the side. She breathed deeper and could feel her reaching her perfect form. She moved quicker than them, stealing the ball from Kagami before shooting the ball from further than half court. It went in and Kagami was back on the attack. He didn't get far before the ball was stolen again. She moved quickly, giving Aomine the opportunity to move down court unhindered.

"She's in the zone," Riko said. They were scared to be facing two players in the zone. Kuroko was barely having an effect on the game.

Kagome was easily scoring from further distances. They were trying their best to keep the scores close, but by the end of it Touo had won with a score of 136 to 95. They couldn't understand it. Kagome had kept up the advanced game play for the whole last quarter, which was unheard of.

"That isn't the zone," Aomine said, hearing Hyuga's comment on her being in the zone. "That is her perfect form." He smirked. "It can be sustained longer than the zone." He wrapped his arm around Kagome's shoulder and pulled her to the group. "This is Higurashi Kagome, team captain and my girlfriend." His team figured as much. "They are Kuroko Tetsuya, Kagami Taiga, Hyuga Junpei, Kiyoshi Teppei, Izuki Shun. They have more players on their bench."

"Nice to meet you." She bowed slightly. "Good game."

"You were great, Gome," Aomine said. He smirked.

"You were as well. You played longer too." She looked him over. "You over did it again, Dai-kun." She scowled at him.

"Hn. I got into the game."

"If you don't take better care of yourself, you will end up hurting yourself."

"Hn. It was your idea to go harder."

"Not that hard." She moved him towards the locker room after a short wave goodbye. Satsuki had her bag. She wanted to look over them. She had Daiki sit down and she started to massage his legs. She sent healing energy into his knees before wrapping them. "Ice your knees when you get home, Dai-kun." He nodded as she looked over the others. She was feeling fine. They left the building in a good mood.


	12. Vandalism and Help

Chapter 12: Vandalism and Help

Kagome found herself sitting with Aomine at a café. He had invited her out to lunch, and she had accepted. This was their first date. She was enjoying herself. She was dressed in a skirt that came to her knees and flowed around her legs nicely. Her top was a nice button up, the first few buttons undone. She wore light brown heeled ankle boots. She barely had any makeup on. He was dressed in a pair of dark slacks and a button up shirt with a few top buttons undone. His hair was as wild as ever. They had both ordered a light lunch. He had more planned for them.

"How are your knees feeling?" She asked him.

"They are fine. I iced them when I got home and rubbed them out before going to sleep and after a nice soak." She nodded. "How was your rest?"

"Good." She smiled at him and felt as he caressed her knuckles with the pads of his fingers. They had finished their food. "What else do you have planned for our date?"

"You will have to see." He smirked at her as the bill came. They stood and he paid the bill before they walked out. He wrapped his arm around her and she placed her arm around his waist as they continued walking. He had brought her to Cosmo World and they had fun riding the rides and he managed to win her a few prizes. They enjoyed some food. When the sun started to set was when they got on the Ferris wheel. At the top, he kissed her. It was sweet and soft to not scare her. She returned it with closed eyes. She smiled. Once they got off, they got on the train to go home.

They walked home in silence. They were comfortable with each other. When they got to the shrine, he walked to the top with her before walking her to the door. They shared a kiss and said good night. They had school in the morning.

Monday morning came and she found herself in class. A few of the people were talking to her about the assignment. Some had already congratulated her on the victory. They had watched the game. Someone had run into the classroom and found her. "Taicho, I saw Hojo this morning," he whispered to her.

"Thank you for letting me know." She wondered what he was doing here. The male left the room and she looked to Daiki. He walked over and she told him what she was told. He was angered by it. "We will deal with things as they happen." He placed a hand on her shoulder. He didn't want her to be hurt again.

"I'll be back in a second." She nodded and he stepped out to the roof. He pulled out his phone and found the number he was looking for. He placed the call and it answered almost immediately.

"Akashi," he greeted. "I need help. My girlfriend is still in danger." He listened for a few. "The male that sexually assaulted her is out and back at school. I need him to leave her alone." He could hear Akashi talking. He was saying something along the lines of it being taken care of. "Thank you, Akashi." He hung up and went back to class before the teacher got in.

The day ended and she found herself in the kyudo club room. It was vandalized, targets torn apart and slanderous words painted on the wall. She knew who did this, and she sent her vice-captain to get the headmaster. He came in to see what they were talking about. The police were called and they had to move their practice. She told Daiki to come over after practice since they would be at her house practicing.

The kyudo team looked over the shrine. They were impressed and could see where she always practiced. There were bows and arrows. They took turns firing and her mother brought out a few snacks. They thanked her and went back to practicing. They stopped when the basketball team showed up. They bowed to Kagome and they left.

"So why were you guys practicing here?" Daiki asked her.

"The kyudo room was destroyed and vandalized. The police are looking into it. We do not know when we will be able to have practice there. If I know how this is going to go, he will vandalize the other club rooms as well, and maybe the gym." She was irritated. "He might even go so far as to vandalize here." He scowled and the basketball team looked angry. He sent a text on his phone and it was replied to.

They went into the house and her mother brought them snacks. She thanked Susa for helping her. She listened as her daughter joked around with the team and Satsuki. She knew her daughter was dating the male sitting next to her. He had the same look in his eyes that her late husband had when he looked at her. He was smitten with her daughter and it made her smile. He would protect her little girl.

The week had progressed as she thought it would, and it found the shrine grounds packed with four clubs and the basketball team. The kyudo had their training pitch. Kendo and bushido had split the large shrine. Kagome said it was alright. Judo was placed in the back grass. They had to learn control so they didn't end up hurt. The basketball team was currently sprinting up and down the stairs. They were unsure how long they were going to be out of their club rooms.

Cameras had been installed in the club rooms and at the shrine. Of course, Kagome didn't know about this. It gave Daiki a piece of mind, and it would provide evidence to the police. It had turned out that Hojo's father had paid off the cops to lose the paperwork. Akashi had contacts everywhere. He was researching the Hojo family. He told Daiki he would take care of it. It was the kind of person Akashi was. He would always help his old teammates.

Riko knew they were messed up after the game with Touo. She had contacted Kise and he was looking at them now.

"So, since they faced Touo, they have been like this." Hyuga had missed his shot.

"Yes. They lost, 136 to 95." She watched as Kagami got pissed off again. "We hadn't been expecting their new player."

"New player?" He was surprised.

"A woman named Higurashi Kagome. She didn't miss any shots and she moved so fluidly. They said she was their captain." He was surprised.

"Higurashi? The name sounds familiar." He got to thinking.

"I admit, she looked familiar to me. I looked into it. We had someone by that name at the start of the school year. She got expelled for fighting. The details were a bit lacking." Kise nodded and came forward. He needed to get them out of this funk.

"I am sure Touo has a game tomorrow."

"Are you guys going to watch?" She nodded.

"I think they need to watch her." Kise nodded. He had a game that day as well, but not against Touo. He wanted to see how the game went. Touo played after they did.

"My team will be watching as well." She nodded. They needed to wake up.

Saturday came and found Kaijo on the court against some other team. They were quick, but not as skilled as Kaijo. When the half came, Touo and their opponent came out for a warm up. He looked over the Touo team and found the female. She was taking basic shots, but the arc was weird to him. She never missed and Aomine looked to be in top form. The others looked good as well. They weren't missing shots. When the ten minutes was over, Touo left back to the locker room.

Their game ended with their win. They watched as Touo came out. They went to the stands and noticed how focused Kise was on Touo. The stands were packed with Touo supporters. They watched as Touo warmed up. They were surprised to see a girl on their team. She looked familiar to them as well.

When the game was started, Aomine managed to give her the ball. Without a thought, she shot the ball from half court, it going in without issue, despite the arc. The opposing team was shocked. The shot woke them up. It ended up being a quick paced game and they could not stop Higurashi. She was skilled and managed to make impossible shots, like Aomine. Kaijo was surprised, especially since their speed had shot up, as well as Aomine's jumps. He could jumo as high as Kagami now. At half time, they watched as Kagome massaged Aomine's knees. The jumps were taking a toll on his knees. She wrapped them and they replenished with lemon slices and something else. He could see Akashi watching as well. Shintaro was there as well. They were all watching.

Aomine stood, and he looked like he was still in top form. He proved it when he jumped just as high. He was able to slam it in the hoop. She was quick and the others seemed to know exactly where they needed to be. They showed a cohesiveness that wasn't there before. She was the reason for it.

The game ended at 157 to 36. The other team was hanging their head and Kagome found herself under Aomine's arm again. They went to the locker room and she looked them all over. They were eating the last of the lemon slices and were finishing off the thermos. She was massaging his knees again. He was growing in skill and speed again. She could feel it. All she could do was lend him healing energy to repair the damage before it could hurt him. They left the locker room to come face to face with Kise, Akashi, Midorima, and Murasakibara.

"Atsushi-kun. I thought I would be seeing you." She pulled out another container and held it out to him. The purple giant took it and started to snack on it as they walked off, Kagome being led off by Aomine. They waved bye to their team and told them they would meet up later.

Kuroko and Kagami seemed to join them. They were led to a secluded area away from everyone else.

"I have heard much about you, Higurashi-san," the other red head said.

"And who might you be?" She looked him over, a bit uneasy by the feel of him.

"Akashi Seijuro. Atsushi hasn't stopped talking about you, especially after you managed to beat Kagami and Kuroko." She looked at the two he mentioned. They seemed out of it. "This is Kise Ryota and Midorima Shintaro."

"I know their names, since I went to school with them." That had Kise's eyes widening. That was where he recognized her. "Why am I here?"

"I told him you were in trouble," Aomine said. "I didn't want you to get hurt again. Akashi said he was going to help."

"And I am helping," he stated. "You might not see it, but nothing should happen to you. If it does, it will be resolved pretty quickly and efficiently."

"I thank you then." She bowed slightly. She noticed the others seemed confused.

"Is someone hurting Gome-chin?" Atsushi asked. "I'll crush them." His tone was threatening.

"Dai-kun saved me, so no need to worry," she assured the purple giant. He nodded and continued to eat the desserts he had been given.

"So, you know."

"Just vague details," he said. "Aomine refused to go into details. Said it was your business." She nodded.

"Maybe some other time," she commented. "Dai-kun, mother is expecting you over for dinner." He nodded.

"Mother said next weekend, she wants you over for dinner." Kagome nodded and they watched as Kagome and Aomine left. They could see how close the two were.

Author's Note: Cosmo World is a real place in Yokohama, near Yokohama's landmark tower. The place is awesome. I would have had this chapter out yesterday, but I was tired so I went to bed early. Hopefully I can post another chapter today before I pass out for the night.


	13. Black Mail

Chapter 13:Black Mail

Kagome smiled as Daiki picked her up from her house. She would be spending the night at Satsuki's house next week. They took turns with the sleepovers. They got their homework done this way. Her grades were still great and Satsuki and Daiki's grades were better. They enjoyed spending time together. Satsuki could understand their need to spend Sunday together as just them. Every day of the week was spent with other people and they wanted time to themselves, so that was what Sunday was for. Satsuki spent it relaxing, knowing Daiki was not getting into any trouble.

Kagome had her arm around his waist and he had his arm around her shoulders as they walked down the street. He wouldn't tell her where they were going. He had planned it. She told him she wanted to plan their next date, which he was fine with, as long as he was the one paying. She was fine with that. She didn't have much spending money anyway. They got onto the train and he made sure she was safe. After about fifteen minutes they got off the train. He walked with her to a bus stop and they got on. When it got to the stop, they got off. She was surprised to see the zoo. She hadn't been for a while.

He led her towards a different entrance. He was met, and they were walked around the zoo and into some of the back areas, where she got to play with some of the baby animals. They seemed to enjoy her company and he enjoyed watching her. She was really kind and it showed in the way she interacted with the animals. She was able to feed some of the animals. When they got hungry, they grabbed something from one of the cafes at the zoo. They went back to touring through the zoo. She enjoyed everything. When the zoo started to close was when they had left. He walked her home and before they parted, she placed her hands on his shoulders and tippy-toed. His hands came to her waist to steady her. She kissed his lips slightly and he smirked before going in for his own kiss. He deepened it when she allowed him to. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. He pulled back to see her breathing had increased and there was a blush on her cheeks. It suited her.

"I had fun, Dai-kun," she said, still blushing.

"I did too." He kissed the crown of her head, taking in the smell of her head as he did so. "I figured you would like to see some animals."

"I did." She leaned her head against his chest and took in his masculine scent. It calmed her nerves and made her want to sleep. She shifted her arms so that they were around him. She smiled. She knew she had to go in soon so drew back slightly to look up at him. "I will see you tomorrow." He nodded and gave her a chaste kiss before he let her go. "Good night, Dai-kun."

"Good night, Gome." He watched her go in before walking down the steps. He was smirking. He liked his relationship with her.

Akashi looked at the data before him. There were many people with the last name of Hojo. He was sure to have found the right one from the first name of the son and the location. There were documents that said the man could have faced several malpractice suits if he had not paid the families. It had Hojo Akamichi's school record as well. He had been at Seirin for about a year and a few months. His grades were average and he had been part of the student council. There were even rape allegations made against him, but those went unsettled. There was a report that basically said it was her word versus his. He went to Shutoku after a while and left there as well after a few months. Then he had moved to Kaijo for a few months before going to Touo. There was a sexual assault charge against him with several statements against him. The physical report had been lost and there had been an attempt to delete the computer files, but they had been unsuccessful.

He scowled. He had already had cameras installed at her resident as well as around the school. It was done discretely. He had everything recorded. If anything happened, he had someone that would report it to the police. He had even done background investigations on the police. His family was influential so there were people willing to do anything they requested. It was why he was able to get all of the information. He had scheduled a meeting with Hojo Hiro.

He looked at the doctor in front of him. He seemed nervous.

"Your son needs to leave Higurashi Kagome and her family alone," he said coldly. "Should he continue on, I will have no choice but to release this." He dropped the binder full of malpractice suits. "You will lose your license to practice and will find it hard to get another job. One step out of line by him and you can say goodbye to everything."

"I understand." He bowed to the red headed youth and scrambled out of the room. His son was getting him into trouble.

Akashi watched the male leave. He looked at Kagome's record. She was top of her class. Though her attitude had declined, he knew it had to do with Hojo and no one believing her, despite the fact she lived on a shrine. He looked up the shrine and found pictures of her performing shrine ceremonies. She was beautiful, he would admit, and she seemed to carry herself with dignity. It was an attractive trait to have in his opinion. Aomine had a type he liked, and it was usually big breasts. Kagome was not lacking in that department. Atsushi liked her cause she could cook. The others probably didn't know too much about her.

He sighed as he placed the binder away. He stood from his desk in his vast room. He moved to his bed and flopped across it. He was more composed in public. When he knew no one was watching, he was more relaxed and acted less refined. He had few of these moments.

He looked at his son. He had just gotten home from his meeting with the red headed male. He was a bit unnerving to be around. He called his son into his study and they sat down across from each other. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He felt really old right now.

"Aki-kun," he addressed his son. "You need to stop pursuing Higurashi. You are getting into a lot of trouble over one female."

"Father, you know I love her." He had a slightly crazed look in his eyes.

"You are obsessed with her," his father said. "It is an unhealthy obsession that has caused her strife and is endangering your future." He looked his son in the eye. "I can't keep paying the cops off to get you out. Next time, I might have to let you stay there."

"You wouldn't," Hojo said. "Your worry too much about your reputation."

"If you continue doing this, our family reputation will be in shambles. Is that what you want?"

"You know what I want," he commented.

"You can't have her." He got upset. "She told you no. She will continue to tell you no. It is never going to happen, so leave her and her family alone." He left his office. His son was not listening to him.

Hojo scowled. "If I can't have her, no one will."

She walked onto school grounds with Daiki and Satsuki. She was talking to Satsuki as Daiki walked with them, arm around her shoulders. Her arm was around his waist and her bag was in her other hand. They took their seats as the teacher came in. It was a relatively quiet day, but the clubs found themselves at the shrine. The rooms and gym hadn't been fixed yet. So the shrine was packed again. Though they helped clean up the shrine as well. They appreciated being able to come here and practice.

They would gladly clean up the areas, but they were still closed off until the police said they could go into the rooms. Once they were allowed to, they would be straightening everything out and painting the rooms. She looked forward to that. She liked having them, but it could be a bit loud at times.

The weekend came quick enough. They didn't have a game this weekend, but they would be playing whoever won this match. They were scouting the teams. Kagome sat next to Aomine and Satsuki and she looked at the teams. It was Kirisaki Daichi versus Meisei. It ended pretty much the same way it did earlier that year. Kagome scowled. She didn't like their methods. She would need to meet with her team and devise a plan to beat the team. She knew her team was looking at her, wondering why she was scowling. She stood with them and they moved out of the building. They happened to meet up with Kirisaki Daichi.

"We look forward to playing you," their captain, Hanamiya Makoto said, looking over the team. His eyes landed on Kagome and he smirked even wider. Aomine didn't like the look he was giving his girlfriend. He wrapped his arm tighter around her and moved her closer to himself. Hanamiya looked over him and narrowed his eyes.

"Let's go," Kagome told her team, the coach nodding as well. "We will beat you without injury to ourselves," she commented as she passed by them.

"I would like to see you try." His smirk widened. He was looking forward to a match with them.

Kagome, Daiki, and Satsuki separated from the team and moved towards their house, passing the shrine. She had her stuff for tonight and her date with Aomine. It was her turn to plan the date, and she had already. She couldn't wait.

They hung out at Satsuki's doing homework and studying. Once Aomine left, they changed into pajamas and sat on the bed, talking. She found out why Satsuki liked the male she had met twice now. She was sure the male had no clue from the way he acted around them. She asked what it was like to date Aomine.

"He has his own way of caring, but it has been fun," she admitted. "He makes me feel safe. I know he is a bit cocky and arrogant, but he isn't always like that. He can be gentle when he wants to be. He makes my heart leap." She was blushing. She was not used to talking about her feelings or anything like this.

"Have you guys kissed?"

She nodded with a blush. "He's a great kisser," she admitted. "We should get to sleep now." Satsuki nodded and they laid down in her bed. They were asleep a few moments later.

When the sun came up, Kagome was already up and was getting dressed. She was wearing a pair of capris and a flowy shirt. The capris were denim and the shirt was a maroon color. She was wearing matching flats. Her hair was done cutely, and went over a shoulder. She had said bye to Satsuki and walked over to his house. They were neighbors so it wasn't a long walk. She knocked and his mother let him in.

"Dai-kun is still sleeping," she told her.

"I can wake him," Kagome told her as she headed up the stairs. His mother gave her the go ahead and she found herself in his room. She had been in there before with Satsuki. She entered his room quietly to see him asleep, the blankets were haphazard and was wrapped around his waist, leaving the rest of him bare. He hadn't slept with a shirt, but he was wearing shorts. She looked him over and smiled. He was still asleep and his hair was a mess. He was perfectly toned. She approached and sat on the side of his bed.

"Dai-kun, time to wake up." She ran her hand through his hair. It didn't do anything to wake him, so, she leaned over him and gave him a kiss. He seemed to respond, so she pressed a little harder. He responded more and rolled them so that she was beneath him. He deepened the kiss before pulling back. "Good morning, Dai-kun."

"Good morning, Gome." He sat up and let her up.

"Get dressed so we can go," she said as she stood from his bed. "I'll be down stairs." She left his room and closed the door behind her. She knew he had been excited, but he held himself back. She appreciated it. She walked down stairs and sat with his parents. Neither of them had work today.

"What are your plans for the future?" His mother asked.

"Well, I want to go to university to become a doctor," she told her. "I know it will take a lot of work and time, but I think that it will be worth it." She nodded. His mother was an interior designer and his dad was a business man of some sort. She never caught the details.

"Dai-kun tells us you handle the first aid for the team," his father said as he folded up the newspaper he was reading.

"I do. I know the basics." She looked up as Daiki entered the room. She stood after taking in what he wore. Dark denim pants, a dark red button up over a white under shirt. She told his parents goodbye before leaving with him. It was going to be a great day.


	14. Her Date, Her Sorrow

Chapter 14: Her Date, Her Sorrow

Kagome led him down the road and to the train station. She took the money he offered and paid for their tickets. She handed him the change and they got on the train. Once they got to the stop she wanted, they got off. They walked down the road, talking about what caught their fancy. She moved into a convenience store, asking him to stay where he was. He had said he was thirsty. She was as well. She moved to the refrigerated section and grabbed a banana milk and a strawberry milk. She quickly paid for it and stepped out, handing him his drink. He had never told her he liked banana milk, so he was surprised. They drank their drinks before walking on.

They moved on to the next stop. It was a museum dedicated to Japanese history. He paid and they walked through the exhibits. He seemed enraptured by the sword displays and the history of past battles. She looked more at the architectural designs. They were beautiful to her. He came up behind her and wrapped his arm around her. He looked through the history of war, noticing the slight changes before the emergence of guns. He scoffed about how guns were for the weak. She agreed. She looked at the changes in architecture. He had said her eye was great. He seemed to be enjoying himself as much as she was. She loved history in general and he loved Japanese history.

They spent two hours there before she pulled him out of the building. They moved down the road and to a secluded restaurant. It was a burger place. It wasn't a fast food one, but they specialized in Japanese styled burgers. He was surprised. He got to order his favorite type of food, a teriyaki burger. She ordered a shrimp burger with a chili lime sauce. They sat and ate their food. He enjoyed the burger. He had never even heard of the place, but it was good.

After eating, they started walking again. It had been a while since he looked at any of his magazines. Why would he when he had his own idol, even if he hasn't seen her as scantily clad as the models in the magazine. He was fine with it. He looked down at his girlfriend and a small smile came over him. He kissed the crown of her head as they continued walking.

She turned them down a road and soon down to the beach. She pulled off her shoes and so had he. He went to the trouble of rolling up the bottoms of his pant legs. They started to walk along the shore line. There was a nice breeze and he could smell salt on the breeze. She seemed relaxed. He couldn't wait for it to get warmer so they could go to the beach.

She reached out and took hold of his hand, interweaving their fingers. He looked down at her. And tightened his own hand. She smiled. They turned to watch the sunset before walking back to the sidewalk. She pulled them into a ramen stand and they ate before catching a train back home. He walked her home and they stopped at the top. The shrine had been vandalized. She looked about ready to cry. The police were there. Her mother hugged her. Aomine called Akashi and he had forwarded the video to the police. He wrapped his arms around both women. He wore a scowl.

"We were provided with a tip," the police told them. "We will have them soon." They nodded. "Because the shrine is a historic monument, the historic society will be helping repair the damage."

"Thank you." The police left and they moved inside. Pictures had been smashed, the furniture thrown around, couches slashed, the plates were obliterated. They were still crying as they moved upstairs. Everything was destroyed. Her clothes were covered in paint and ripped, including her uniforms. Her family's clothes were fine. Slanderous words were painted on the walls. She broke down and finally cried.

Aomine hated seeing her like this. He was angered and he knew who did this. He called his parents. He had explained what had happened. They said they could stay with them until the house could be situated. He told them and they were grateful. She had a spare uniform in her bag, which was still at Satsuki's place. They were waiting for Souta and grandpa to get home.

"Where's Buyo?" Kagome asked as she looked around. She found the cat strung up in a tree. She cried harder. He pulled her closer.

When Souta and grandpa showed, they were shocked. They packed a few bags and they left for Aomine's house. His mother and father welcomed them into their big house. Souta and grandpa were sharing a room. Mama Higurashi was shown to another room. There was a third spare room. Instead, Daiki took her into his room and held her, his door left open. When she had fallen asleep, he got up and left quietly. She had cried herself to sleep. He sent a group text to the generations of miracle and Kagami. He told his parents he was stepping out for a little bit. They accepted it. They were friends with the Akashi family. So, they were on the phone with them now.

He showed up, and one by one the others showed up. Himuro showed up with Astushi. They were angered by what they saw. Kuroko got upset seeing a cat hanging from a tree. They walked around the house. Her memories smashed on the floor. Akashi was scowling. He knew who did this. He would be having another conversation with Hojo.

Monday came quickly and Kagome and Daiki left his house to meet up with Satsuki. Kagome was sad and Satsuki could tell. She didn't ask. Daiki didn't have his arm wrapped around her shoulder, instead he was holding Kagome's hand. She was also holding his. When they passed the shrine, Satsuki saw the police tape. Her question had been answered. They came to school, and everyone could notice Kagome's drop in mood. There was no sign of Hojo anywhere. He brought her to the class and she sat down, head in her arms. He quietly explained to Sastuki what happened and asked her to stay with Kagome. She did and rubbed Kagome's back.

He went to the headmaster's office and explained what had happened. He nodded and gave him permission to gather the clubs she was involved in. The announcement was made and they met in the gym, which had been repaired over the weekend. Satsuki had been asked to take Kagome home and she nodded before taking Kagome home. She would stay with her until Daiki came home.

He looked out at the large group. It was more than just the kyudo team, bushido team, kendo team, judo team, basketball team. The cooking club was in there, as well as some other people, people she had helped. The headmaster and club advisors was there as well. He had explained to them what had happened, how her home had been vandalized, and they were angered by this. He was asking for help in getting the house back in order since the historic society would take care of the shrine portion.

There were plenty of people that would be helping. He had already received permission from the police to go back inside the house and shrine. They were meeting up at the shrine. Some were offering to donate some odd amount of money. The cooking club would be putting food together for those working on the house. He went in with a few and they pulled pictures from broken frames. Some of them would need to be fixed. He moved upstairs and pulled her clothes into a bag. He was sad to see that so much of her stuff had been destroyed. They started pulling out the destroyed furniture, while someone took the pictures to repair them. It was going to be a long day.

By the time it got dark, the house was emptied. They went home. He found Kagome on his bed, face down. He came up to his bed and sat down before pulling her into his lap. She rested her head on his chest. He rubbed her back.

"Want to go for a run?" She nodded and he allowed her to get dressed in his room. When they left, she ran as fast as she could and he was right there with her. She wanted to run forever. He would be right there with her.

She collapsed after a while. It was in grass and she rolled onto her back to get her breath back. It was dark. He sat next to her. She caught her breath before sitting up. She sat next to him.

"Thank you for being here for me." He nodded and pulled her closer. They sat for a little while longer before standing and heading back to his house. She was still sad, but not as much. They were silent on their walk back. They were hand in hand.

They made it to his house and his mother had food ready. Kagome thanked her. She would have hugged the woman, if she wasn't sweaty. They ate and she was able to shower. His parents were understanding and were fine with her sleeping in his room. The door had been left open.

The week ended pretty quickly. Mama Higurashi had helped out around the house and grandpa was trying to find something to do. She went to school, only to see so much of the school gone. She spent the time devising a battle plan for Saturday to keep her mind off of her home. Daiki said he had something he had to take care of, so she waved him off. Satsuki helped her with research on the team they were facing. She knew they cheated and would cause injury, or have players foul out. They couldn't afford it. They didn't have a lot of players. She could keep the injuries to a minimum. She knew they would target Daiki first, either through injuries or by getting him to draw fouls. She would talk to him about it first. They were going to play aggressive, but safe. By safe, she wanted them to avoid being outnumbered. Satsuki nodded at her ideas.

She found Daiki waiting for her at the front gate. She was happy to see him, so she ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him, taking in his scent. She closed her eyes. He hugged her back and kissed the crown of her head. He smirked down at her and they walked down the street, his arm around her shoulders and her arm around his waist. When they got to the steps, he turned them to walk up them. She was confused, but almost cried when she saw it. The shrine had been repaired, and the house looked new. It was painted and the once smashed windows were repaired. They walked up to the door and inside to see her mother in the kitchen cooking dinner. The furniture looked new and the pictures were back on the walls.

She had tears in her eyes. She walked upstairs and saw everything painted and pictures on these walls. She opened her room to see her room painted a light blue. The bed was bigger than the one she had before. There was a desk and chair. She looked in the dresser to see new undergarments and socks. Her closet had new uniforms and clothes.

"Almost everyone at school chipped in. We spent the week cleaning and getting everything back together. The photography club restored the pictures. They knew they meant something to you. Your clothes weren't salvageable so some of the donations went to getting you new clothes. Some of the furniture is second hand."

"It's fine." She hugged him before giving him a kiss. "Thank you."

"Hn. I had a lot of help." He gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Satsuki said you have a game plan for tomorrow."

"I do. They will try to either force you to foul out, or they will injure you and the others, possibly me as well." She sat on her bed. "We can't afford it, so we will have to avoid being double teamed. We will have to keep some space as well. We still need to play aggressively. We will need to play high speed basketball."

"Can you handle that?" He was worried about her playing against this team.

"I can." She nodded. She knew he was worried about her. She smiled softly at him. "I appreciate your worry." She kissed his lips briefly.

"I don't want you to get hurt." She nodded and hugged him close.

"And I don't want you to get hurt," she said back. "I will do what I can to make sure none of us get hurt." He nodded. It was one of the things he appreciated about her. She cared about people and did everything she could to make sure they were happy.

"Hn." He looked down at her. She was what he could see in his future. She was caring and smart, and dedicated. She gave everything her all. She was kind and always willing to help. She even managed to get him to improve and care about his grades.

"Thank you for letting me and my family stay with your family."

"You are always welcome over. Mother seems to have soft spot for you and your mother." He smirked. "I will miss having you in my arms when I go to sleep." She blushed, though she was going to miss it as well. "Mother is expecting me home soon." She nodded as they headed towards the stairs. Once outside, she tippy-toed and gave him a brief kiss.

"Thank your mother for me."

"You can do that tomorrow. Your mother invited my family over for dinner tomorrow night after our game." She nodded and gave him a last hug. He kept her held to him while he swooped in for a longer kiss.

"I will see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Dai-kun." She watched him go down the stairs before going back in for the night.


	15. Touo Versus Kirisaki Daichi

Chapter 15: Touo Versus Kirisaki Daichi

She spent time in the morning getting things ready for the game. She had her usual lemons and herbal brew. She had more first aid items, knowing it might be needed for this game. She even had a special brew for her. She would need it to replenish her miko chi. She made sure everything was in her bag when there was a knock on the door. She answered it and let Satsuki and Daiki in. She shoved one last thing in her bag before she got her shoes on and left with them. Daiki took the overly packed bag from her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Satsuki was next to them and commenting on how the house looked good.

They met up with the others and made their way to the game. They had an early game, so they left earlier. She seemed to be in a better mood and ready to play. The coach met them at the gym and watched as they warmed up. The other team was there as well. Hanamiya was looking at them, a smirk on his face. He hadn't seen them play, but he wasn't worried about it. They relied on a girl to get them a win. He was thinking of taking her out first, or Aomine. They seemed like the bigger threats.

They went to the bench and they looked to their coach for the gameplay. He signaled to Kagome and Satsuki. "We are going with high speed basketball," she said seriously. "I can keep up, so don't worry about it. We want to avoid being double teamed. Keep your space. We don't need anyone getting hurt, or anyone fouling them. They will try to draw fouls or injure our players. If you are feeling fatigued, let me know. I don't want any unnecessary injury."

"You heard her," the coach said. They nodded and stood.

"Dai-kun, give me the ball," she told him. He nodded and they jumped for the ball. Kagome got the ball and someone moved to stop her. She smirked and was soon down to the other end of the court. She scored an easy two points. They threw the ball in and made to go down court, but using precise movements, she tipped the ball, and Imayoshi took it and passed it to Sakurai. He took the three-point shot and dodged away from a potential elbow to the face. She scowled, but did nothing. The ball had gone in. The ref gave the player a warning to watch his elbows.

Kagome signaled for them to move faster, which they did. They were not letting Kirisaki Daichi touch the ball. By the end of the first quarter, Touo was up by 36 points. They were a little tired, but they took sips of the drink Kagome brought. She looked them over to see no injury. She knew she had a few bruises, as did Daiki. They were mostly targeting her and Daiki, which she already knew was going to happen. She just took out an ointment she made and Satsuki applied it to her and Daiki's bruises.

"They are playing how I figured they would," Kagome said. She had buffeted the damage to Daiki using the ki she had managed to store on him. It wasn't noticeable, but it kept the damage to his knees at a minimum.

"Are you okay?" Wakamatsu asked.

"I am fine." She looked to Wakamatsu. "You are coming in for Sakurai." He nodded. He was ready to play. "Sakurai, regain your energy. I need you in the third quarter." He nodded, biting back an apology. He was trying to work out of that habit. "Let's go." They nodded and they were back on the court.

Hanamiya scowled. He couldn't weave his web. Sure, they were doing damage to the two targets, but it didn't seem to faze them. He passed the ball in and tried to find footing for his plan, but the web was cut down before it could stick. They couldn't even draw fouls. The female from Touo stole the ball and went forward. There was no screen, but she was able to pass to Imayoshi who passed it back to her. She easily shot the three, one of his players running into her, sending her falling. The ref signaled the foul. Daiki was upset but went to see if she was okay. Her eyebrow was split and bleeding. The ref called a timeout to get the blood cleaned up and Kagome sat as Satsuki held up a mirror as Kagome pulled out her first aid kit. She placed pressure on it and he placed a bit of the ointment on his finger, and dabbed it on before she covered it with a band aid. She had already sent her healing ki to have it heal over. She would have done the same to the bruises, but it would have looked suspicious.

The game was called back into play. She took her shot for the foul and it went in. She concentrated and her eyes narrowed. She breathed out and she intercepted the ball. She easily ducked under every attempt at her. She dodged an incoming guard and shot the ball, dodging another hit as the ball went in. She managed to stop another pass, and gave the ball to Aomine. He slammed it in without touching anyone.

Hanamiya called a timeout. He was scowling. "Cover those two. I want at least one of them out," he said.

"I am having a hard time covering her," one of them said,

"Kazuya, Hiroshi, cover number 8. Itsuki, Kojiro, and I will cover Aomine." He smirked. He didn't want to play Seto yet. They went back to playing.

Kagome saw the mark she and Daiki had. She remained calm and she was passed the ball, both came to guard her, she took her shot as they both came at her. Using some of her bushido speed, she vanished from between the two, and they crashed into each other, sending them both sprawling across the floor, their heads having collided with each other. Hanamiya scowled at their stupidity. He passed the ball in to Itsuki, who went charging towards Aomine. Kojiro was right behind Aomine. They were trying to draw a foul from the taller male. He didn't seem to fall for it and he found himself charging into Wakamatsu, whom he was paying no attention to. The ref called the foul against him. It was already his third in two quarters. Wakamatsu threw the ball in to Kagome, who took the shot before they could reply. It was almost a full court shot.

The stands were screaming for Touo. The half was called and Touo was now ahead by 72. Kirisaki Daichi had 10 points. They took their seats as two teams came out to warm up. Kagome was looking over them while Satsuki handed out the lemons and the drink in the thermos. Kagome had taken a few drinks from her own thermos and saw to taking care of Aomine's knees and rubbing more ointment onto his bruises. There were more since he was being covered by three people. She rubbed his shoulders to get the soreness out of them. Her power sunk into his muscles and he found himself relaxing.

"What about you?" Daiki asked her.

"I am fine. I have managed to avoid any further contact. They will be pulling the three man guard off of you soon," she said as she sat next to him to eat some lemon. She drank more from her thermos. She could feel her stores restoring.

Hanamiya scowled. They were going to lose at this point. He had underestimated her. She was easily able to handle two people, and she just shouted that she could make shots from anywhere. He looked Seto before pulling his headphones off. "Time for you to go in." He sat up and pulled the eye mask off. He grabbed some gel and slicked his hair back before looking at the score board. They were in a bind, it seemed. He looked to the team to see the pink haired, busty manager. He smirked before moving his sights to the team. They stopped on the female player. He could see her back. When she turned around, his smirk widened. She was gorgeous, even covered in bruises. It seemed his teammates didn't know not to hit girls.

"Have to get rough with a girl now," he commented.

"That girl is their captain, and the reason they are ahead," Hanamiya commented. "She can score from anywhere on the court."

"Impressive." He smirked as he went on the court in place of Itsuki.

Hanamiya gave him the ball and he charged down the court, only to see number 8 with him. He smirked and made to pass her, but she managed to steal the ball, before turning and shooting the ball after a very brief pause. He watched as it went in. He scowled. He hadn't been expecting that move. Her eyes had been serious and they seemed to observe everything before her hands moved quickly. He was given the ball again and he made to move even faster, but she was already in front of him. It was like a cat and mouse game, and he was the mouse. She easily stole the ball and passed it to Sakurai, who made a three. No one had been covering the apologetic boy. The game kept up, and he only managed to score three times. He was getting frustrated. She wasn't in the zone, but it was close to it.

The end of the third quarter came, and the gap in score was still large. There was no way they were going to beat Touo. Hanamiya and Seto looked to the Touo bench. Seto had his eyes on number 8. She was his type of girl. She was busty and athletic. She was quick witted. He smirked. He would make a move on her after the game. There were a few girls after him, but he didn't like them because they were lacking in the chest department.

Kagome could feel eyes on her, but she ignored it as she looked over the team. They were mostly tired, and she was out of drinks. The last of the lemons were being eaten now. She sipped from her thermos and rubbed down Aomine's legs. They were not injured, and she was starting to feel fatigued. She drank more from her thermos. It was refreshing. They were called back onto the court. She passed the ball to Imayoshi as he dribbled up. He passed to Wakamatsu, who then passed to Susa. He went up and scored, avoiding a foul. Kagome still had two people covering her. Number 5 and number 10 couldn't be shacked. Daiki wasn't covered by three people anymore, like she had predicted. Instead, number 4 was covering him. Number 7 moved between covering Imayoshi and Susa, which left number 8 covering Wakamatsu. She was fine with that. She could play with two people covering her. She just concentrated, and several people looked towards her. There was ten minutes left in the game. She was able to easily weave between them, getting the ball and shooting like everyone else was standing still. She easily stole the ball back. They didn't score for the rest of the game.

Touo had demolished Kirisaki Daichi.

Hanamiya scowled while Seto looked over number 8. She was walking towards her team for the line-up. They moved as well, and Hanamiya stood across from her. They did their customary thing before breaking from the line-up.

"I was not expecting you to be so resilient," Hanamiya told her.

"You underestimated me and rely too much on dirty plays." She looked him in the eye. "Your team has skilled players. You should focus more on improving those talents." She turned and walked away.

"I could show you a good time," Seto called towards her, but she ignored him and kept heading towards her team. Aomine wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she placed her arm around his waist. He had not been expecting that. He could only watch as they walked to their locker room.

They entered their locker room and Kagome looked them over for injury before massaging Aomine's shoulders, arms and legs. He relaxed. She had sent healing ki into him. Once she was done and he felt better, he stood, signaling that it was time to go. They left and was met with the clubs and their increased following. Before, a lot of people hated them, but since Kagome joined, they were hated less. Kagome had that effect on people, and Imayoshi and Daiki rubbed people the wrong way sometimes.

They separated from the basketball team, and when they got to the shrine, they parted ways with Satsuki. She was fine with it, because Daiki had already told her that his family was having dinner with Kagome's family. They entered the house and could smell the delicious scent of dinner. They could hear their mothers talking in the kitchen. His father was reading the paper in the living room while grandpa was watching a history program on the television. She could faintly feel Souta in the house.

They entered the kitchen and she kissed her mother on the cheek as Daiki did the same to his mother. She told her mother she was going to shower, and Daiki waited in her room. She had grabbed her clothes before getting in the shower. Ten minutes later, she was out and dressed. She offered for him to take a shower, but he said he was going to shower when he got home after dinner. They spent a bit of time in her room before heading downstairs to dinner. Their mothers talked the whole time while Souta shot questions at Daiki. His father was in brief conversation with her grandpa. It was a weird sight to see. She just watched on, a smile on her face. It was nice. She could get used to moments like this.

The pleasant dinner ended. They walked them out and she hugged him goodbye. They were set to go out tomorrow, so she would be seeing him soon. Her mother commented about liking his family. She liked them too, and they seemed to like her family. It was great. She just turned in for the night, a smile on her face. She was looking forward to Sunday.


	16. Deadly Obsession

Chapter 16: Deadly Obsession

It was about a week later that Hojo had shown up at school. They were not sure why he was not in prison still. His father probably paid someone off. They would not let it get to them, so instead carried on as if he wasn't there. No one talked to him. He scowled as Kagome talked to Aomine. He was always touching her in some way, shape or form when he saw them. There was always someone else with them. Him seeing her happy with someone else made him angry. She was supposed to be his. It was driving him crazy.

Kagome looked around before tippy-toeing and kissing Daiki on the lips. He deepened it. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his arms pulled her closer to him. He couldn't get enough of her. She seemed the same way. She stole kisses when she could, and he found himself just wanting her to be close and in his arms. Adults thought it was a puppy love, that they would grow out of it. It didn't seem that way to her, or to their parents. They worked well together. Not too many people got to see them in a private setting. Satsuki did, and she could only wish to have a relationship like that.

Hojo was plotting. His father was right. He would never have Kagome. She would never be with him. He couldn't see himself being with anyone but her. Maybe he was obsessed like his father said. In any case, he was already too far gone in his mind. He spent years pining over her, but a few weeks here, and she was swooning over some bad boy. Granted, he had done unsavory things to her. He had figured she was playing hard to get, so for her to call rape when he thought it was her fantasy, made him upset. He was going to be a successful doctor. She could relax and live the easy life with him. He thought with her being with Aomine, she would have to work hard. He just wanted her to be his, to give him children. He had always imagined it in middle school. But she refused him. So, if he couldn't have her, no one could.

It had been several weeks with Hojo not doing anything. She was with the basketball team watching their seniors graduate. He was there watching as well, but he wasn't watching the graduation. No, he was watching Kagome and Aomine. His arm was still around her and she was clapping. There was a small party for the two. Kagome had planned it and it was to be at a close by restaurant. He wasn't invited. She had a lot going on that week with saying bye to all of her third-year friends. The interhigh would be put on pause. They were using the end of year results to set up the actual brackets.

He had his plan to set into motion. He knew her friend Satsuki spent the night often and she often spent the night at Satsuki's house. He was hoping for a night she would be at home with her family.

She knew that with everything that was happening with Kagome, she had to make plans for the future. She had drawn up a will and convinced her father-in-law to do the same. It was saved away from the shrine, in a law firm. She wished she didn't have to do this, but she had a foreboding feeling in her bones. She had met with a man named Taisho Sesshomaru. He had said he was a friend from the past. She believed him when he described things only her daughter had known. She got to know him and found that this male respected her daughter. If anything happened, he would see to the needs of her children.

She knew her daughter was going to be busy this week. She would hardly be home. She had made many friends, for which she was glad. They kept her daughter grounded and proved to be people that would believe her and protect her. She was thankful for Aomine-kun as well. He was sweet to her daughter and was there to protect her. She couldn't ask for more. She knew Aomine-kun was in love with her daughter, and her daughter seemed just as smitten.

They were joking around at the restaurant. They were able to book a separate room. It was great and the food was good. They were telling stories, and Kagome found herself laughing. Aomine was smirking and had his arm wrapped around her. Sakurai was blushing, but he wasn't apologizing. Wakamatsu was being loud, as per usual. Imayoshi had even poked fun at Aomine for liking banana milk. Susa was shaking his head, but he looked to Kagome. She would keep them grounded and help them improve. They just needed more people on their team.

When they left, it was dark. They walked home and Kagome would be sleeping at Satsuki's house. The next day would be spent saying bye to the third years of the judo team. The day after that, it was the kyudo team, then the kendo team, and finished off with the bushido team. Of course, they would still talk, even if they were not going to the same places.

She looked at Satsuki and smiled as they turned in. She had said goodnight to Aomine. They whispered into the night, some giggling going on. Satsuki had made plans to hang out with Kuroko.

The goodbyes had been bitter sweet. They were off to different universities around Japan, and some of them had plans for international colleges. She had a date with Aomine today. Satsuki was spending the night at her house and then tomorrow they were having a girl's day. Satsuki had set up a spa day. She had plans for the few weeks they had off.

He watched her for a long while. He had made his plan of attack. He was waiting for the right time. And the time was going to happen tonight. He saw her get dropped off at her house early. He didn't think she would be leaving again because of the time, so he left. He had some things to grab before he came back to enact his plans.

"Kagome, are you going to Momoi-chan's house?" Mama Higurashi asked.

"Yes. I forgot something and she hasn't gotten home from hanging out with Kuroko-kun yet." She grabbed what she had forgotten. "Did you need something?"

"Yes. Souta is spending the night at his friend's house. Can you drop him off?" She was doing the dishes.

"Yeah." Souta came running down the stairs. "Come on squirt." She ruffled his hair and they left. They walked in the opposite direction of Hojo.

She dropped him off at a house across the street from Satsuki's house. Satsuki didn't seem to be home yet, so she went to Daiki's house. She knocked and his mother let her in. She said he was up in his room. Kagome thanked her and went upstairs. She saw him lying on his bed, headphones over his ears. She moved in and looked down at him before giving him a kiss, startling him. He shot up and looked at her. He pulled the headphones off and stood.

"I thought you were spending the night at Satsuki's house."

"She isn't home yet," she said with a shrug. They walked down to the living room and sat on the couch to watch television. An action movie was on. About thirty minutes later, Satsuki was knocking on the door. She came in and pouted at Kagome.

"I thought you were coming over." Her cheeks were puffed out.

"You weren't home yet so I wanted to hang out with Dai-kun until you got back." She stood, and so did Aomine. "Now that you are home, we can hang out." Aomine told his parents he was going to Satsuki's house for a little bit. They walked to Satsuki's house and hung out in her room until Aomine had to go home. He gave her a quick kiss good night. They changed and Satsuki turned on her television. They grabbed a few snacks and hunkered down to watch a few movies. They ended up falling asleep an hour into the first movie. Her mother came in and grabbed the snacks and turned off the television. She smiled at the two and closed the door.

He waited for all of the lights to turn off. He went to every door and window and made it so no one could get out or in. He had gasoline and lots of it. He had spread it all over the house before he struck a match. He looked at it before placing it against the house. It didn't catch, so he got a glass bottle and filled it half way with gasoline before shoving a rag into it and lighting it. He threw it at the house and it shattered, catching the house on fire. He watched as the whole house caught fire before running away. He couldn't afford to be caught near the scene of his crime.

The fire and smoke could be seen so 119 had been called. Firefighters, paramedics, and police showed up. They had fought the fire. Once the fire was out, the firefighters went to investigate. They busted open the door and noticed how the doors and windows had been made to not open. They moved up the stairs carefully. They moved into the rooms. Two of the rooms were empty. One had a charred body in the bed. Another body was found by a window in a bed room. They looked through the rest of the house, but no one else was found. They police came in and they had gathered evidence. They noticed cameras around the shrine grounds. They wanted the video from the cameras.

"Sir, this house has been vandalized before," one told the lead detective. "The suspect in that case is out on bail. I think he might have come to finish the job." They nodded.

"Go and arrest him." They nodded and grabbed their partner to do as told.

"Four people live here," someone told him. "Two bodies were found. The coroner will take some time to identify the bodies, but I think it is safe to assume that the kids weren't here when this went on."

"Try to get in contact with them." They nodded and looked through the numbers they had on file. They called the number for Higurashi Kagome. It rung twice before a sleepy voice answered. "Is this Higurashi Kagome?" There was a sleepy "yes". "I have some bad news. There was a fire at your home. No one made it out alive. We need you to come here." They could hear a silent sob before they were given an "okay." The line went dead and he hung up. He felt sad for her.

She was woken by her phone ringing. It was late at night, so she wondered who was calling. She was not ready for the news she had received. She cried as she woke up Satsuki. She was worried as Kagome cried. She got dressed and ran next door to grab Daiki. He was grumbling about being woken up, but it stopped when he saw Kagome crying in the middle of Satsuki's bed. He approached and lifted her into his arms. He managed to get her calm enough to tell him what happened. He became angry finding out her mother and grandfather died in a fire caused by arson. She was requested at the shrine. She got dressed as Satsuki went to get her brother from his friend's house.

He was sleepy but walked with them down the road to the shrine. Aomine was holding her and Satsuki was holding Souta's hand. She had sent a text to her parents telling them where she and Kagome were. They came to the shrine, and Kagome was crying again. Aomine pulled her close. Souta looked shocked before angry tears came to his eyes. Satsuki held him as he cried. The police came up to them and had said they were sorry and asked who would do this and why.

She had said Hojo Akimichi. He had been stalking her, sexually assaulted her, vandalized the shrine before because she wouldn't date him. The police thought it was farfetched. Aomine had said he had stopped him before and that he could get them the proof they needed after making a call. He had made a call and about forty-five minutes later Akashi was there. He gave them the recordings after making backups. They thanked him. Kagome was crying. They were asked if they had any living relatives. They didn't, to their knowledge. Aomine said they could stay with him until they could figure out something to do.

The police were fine with it and said they would be in touch. Kagome hugged Souta, knowing he was angry. They lost their family and home. They were lucky the shrine hadn't caught fire. She walked with him to Aomine's house. He wanted to be alone, so she let him. She was still sad. His parents looked worried. He brought her into his arms and laid with her until she fell asleep. He left her there and told his parents what had happened. They were shocked and sad for the girl. She didn't deserve for something like this to happen.

Akashi scowled at the male. "Your son just couldn't leave her and her family alone," he told Hojo Hiro. "Do you feel good knowing your son murdered two people and made two kids homeless orphans?"

"I told him to stop, I swear." He was near tears. "He is obsessed with her. Nothing short of death will stop or reason with him."

"Your life is over," Akashi told him. "Every malpractice has been put out there, and more people are coming forward. You won't have your license and you will be losing everything because you couldn't keep your son in line. His future has been decided and so has yours." Two men dragged the older Hojo from the premises.

Akashi looked out the window. Needless death over some immature boy's obsession. It wasn't Kagome's fault. She had said no, that they were never going to be together. She hadn't led him on.

It was all over the news the next morning. The teams were sad by the news. Mama Higurashi had been welcoming to them and grandpa was always willing to tell them stories, even if he came off as a little crazy sometimes. Kagome was probably in mourning and the news crew couldn't find her. They were told to leave the children alone.

It was how he found out about it. He looked to his lawyer and nodded. He had to get his house ready for two children to live with him.


	17. Sesshomaru's Will

Chapter 17: Sesshomaru's Will

He had been arrested not long after the fire. He was cursing. There was no way they could have known it was him that started that fire, but they said they had video footage of him doing it, and staking out the house. He became angered when he found out Kagome was still alive. His reaction had been recorded. He had even gone so far as to say that she should be dead, that if he couldn't have her, no one could. He was straining against his handcuffs.

They booked him and he was just waiting for his father to bail him out.

A few hours later, he saw his father brought in. He was in a jumper like his. He scowled. Maybe his mother would get them out. His father sat at the table with him.

"I told you to leave them alone," he said. "We wouldn't be in this mess if you did."

"She is supposed to be mine," he told his father. "Mother will get us out of here."

"No, she won't." He shook his head. "I was pretty much like you at your age. I got her to be with me by getting her pregnant. She only stayed because of you. She noticed your behavior before I did. She was planning for her own way out. She won't be going anywhere. We are both going to be in here for a long time."

"What are you talking about?" He was confused.

"I killed her," he said, a crazy look in his eyes. "I was caught for it and more too."

He leapt at his father and started to attack him. There was one person that mattered the most to him, and it had been his mother. He had been pulled off of his bloody father and placed in solitary.

Aomine talked with his parents. If Kagome and Souta went into foster care, they could be moved far away and placed with people that would never care about them, or placed in an orphanage. They didn't want that. He knew it was early, but he had proposed to her. She had accepted. She would live with them, and Souta would too. She was fine with that.

They hadn't expected a knock on the door. A lawyer came in with a briefcase. They sat down and they were going over her mama Higurashi and grandpa's wills. They inherited the shrine, which would be taken care of by the historic society until a house could be built and when they got older. There was a small fortune saved up. Mama Higurashi had put their care into someone else's care. The Aomines were shocked. They didn't know where they were going.

"But I don't want to go," Kagome told the lawyer. She messed with the engagement ring.

"I was told to give you this, if you said that." He held forward an envelope, and she looked inside. She recognized it, and she sighed sadly.

"Dai-kun, I will be back later." She stood and gave him a sad smile and a kiss. "This is something I have to take care of. Come, Souta." Souta stood and Daiki was forced to watch his fiancée walk out the door.

They got into the car the lawyer had shown up in. She didn't want to leave, but she knew she had to. The person summoning them was not a patient man. She would see what he wanted. She preferred not getting on his bad side. She had done that before and almost died because of it. Souta was obviously still upset and confused by what was going on. She just pulled him close and exuded some of her aura to calm him. She could feel the male driving stiffen. She took that time to get a feel for him. He was a half demon from the feel of it. If she had to take a guess, she would say he was a type of canine, probably a breed of dog.

"We are here, miss," he said as the car came to a stop. Her door was opened by a stick of a man. He felt like a half demon as well. She would probably say a type of lizard. She slid out with Souta. They walked up to the opened door with the lawyer. He was feeling stiffer than before. He led them up the stairs and into an office. He opened the door and stood off to the side to let them in. She could see a slightly older Sesshomaru with two arms sitting behind a desk in a very suiting suit.

"Hello again, Miko," he greeted as he looked at them. He signaled to the seats and they took them. "I met with your mother a while ago, and have been keeping tabs on you. She voiced her worries to me, and I had my lawyer draw up a will for her and your grandfather. He was set on saying that he didn't need one. When I watched the news with the word of their death, I spent time getting my home prepared for you and your brother to come live with me. You will be taken care of, as will he."

"If you have been keeping tabs on me, why didn't you do anything about Hojo?" She was a bit upset.

"I was hoping law enforcement would take care of him. I see my thinking was flawed." He looked her in the eye. "I do know you have brought Touo honor with several championships in four clubs. You are top of your class, and you have many people that support you and would protect you, that would do much for you." He looked at her hand to see the ring there. "It also seems there is someone that loves you."

"I love him as well," she stated looking at the ring. It made her heart feel warm. "Dai-kun would do anything for me."

"Then he will let you go," Sesshomaru said. "There is someone else I plan for you to marry. It requires you be unattached and to stop being so familiar with another male."

"You can't do this to me Sesshomaru. He has been supportive of me. He has protected me." She wanted to yell at him.

"You will be taking over my company. You will be going to school for business and you will not have time for him." Souta could only sit and watch what was going on.

"I have plans for my future," Kagome argued. "I am going to go to school to be a doctor. I want to get married and start a family."

"You will marry and start a family," he stated with no emotion.

"I want to marry a man I love." Tears of frustration was in her eyes.

"You will grow to love your betrothed." He was growing frustrated with her.

"I have a fiancé! I can't just drop him because you tell me to." Her tears started to fall. "I just lost my mother and grandfather, Sesshomaru. You can't take him away from me too."

"Your mother made me your legal guardian. You got engaged against my say so, Miko. You are not an adult yet. You cannot make such a decision. You can still go to Touo, but I suggest you cut ties with him. It will hurt more when you have to do so later." He could only watch her cry.

She stood from the chair and ran from the room. He signaled for someone to follow her and not allow her to speak with the male she claimed to be engaged to. There was two weeks left before the school year started back up. He would not allow her to see him for the remainder of that time.

She ran for Daiki's house as fast as her legs would carry her. Before she could make it to the door, an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her against a broad chest. She gave a scream and tried to reach for the door, but she was being pulled backwards. She was crying as she was pulled from the front of his house and placed in the back of a car. They had turned on the child safety locks so she couldn't get out. She watched as she was driven away from the house for the second time that day.

He heard a yell and looked outside to see a crying Kagome being pulled towards a dark car. He ran outside as the car disappeared from view. He didn't understand what was going on. He just really wanted Kagome back with him. It didn't seem to be happening.

She was dragged back into Sesshomaru's house. She was placed in a seat in his office. Souta had been taken to explore the mansion.

"Miko." He looked angry with her. "You will accept the path I am putting you on. You will be set for life and have the family you desire. Forget this male. If not, I can have you transferred to Rakuzan with your betrothed and you will not get to spend time with your brother. An escort will be with you at all times, and you are not to see that male outside of school."

"Damn you, Sesshomaru." She stood, but she didn't leave the mansion. Instead she moved into the back and towards the forest. Her escort kept his distance, but kept her in his sights. She sat beneath a tree and started to cry. Her life wasn't her own. No matter how much she wished it, it wouldn't happen. Sesshomaru was someone to always get what he wanted. He didn't want her to be with Daiki. But she would do anything to make sure she could still see her brother. He was all she had left.

He was on edge. For two weeks, he hadn't seen Kagome. Satsuki had been talking to her. She had told him that when she did talk to Kagome, she had been in tears. He wasn't given any more details because Satsuki hadn't been given any more details. Today, school started back up. He would be able to see her. He could put his mind at ease. He was in a hurry, and Satsuki worked to keep up with him. He came to the school to see everyone recruiting. He went to the basketball team booth. There were many people that signed up for the basketball team, but he didn't see her.

"Have you seen Gome?" He asked Wakamatsu and Sakurai.

"No." Both shook their heads, finding it odd that she wasn't with him.

He ran off to the other clubs she was involved in, but she wasn't anywhere to be seen. He went looking everywhere for her, but couldn't find her. He turned and there she was, a male standing next to her. She seemed sad. He would have thought she would have been feeling a bit better, but she seemed sad.

"Higurashi-sama," he could hear the male say. "You know what must be done." He could see her clench her hand.

"Gome," he whispered. She looked at him, and the look in her eyes broke his heart. There was a foreboding feeling in all of this.

"Please do not address me so familiarly, Aomine-san," she said. She had slipped the ring from her finger and held it out towards him. She looked like she was breaking on the inside, but was fighting to keep it together.

"Gome, what is this about?" He looked hurt as he came towards her. He reached out to touch her face but she took a step back. He dropped his hand as realization came to him. She was breaking their engagement off. She was cutting ties with him.

"Higurashi-sama asked for you not to address her so familiarly," the male said. He was taller and bigger than him. He took the ring from Kagome and shoved it into his chest. "Higurashi-sama, you have things to get to." She nodded and walked past him. Once she was in a secluded area, she broke down and cried. He went to touch her, but received a warning spark from her miko ki. He kept his distance.

He could only look at where she had been. That was how Satsuki found him. He looked broken and she could see the ring in his hand. She could have sworn it was the ring he asked Kagome to marry him with.

"Dai-kun?" She placed a hand on his shoulder and it made reality sink in. He gave and anguished cry and broke down in front of her. She hadn't seen him cry like this before. All she could do was hold him as he cried. She knew that it was bad if she had to be the one to comfort him.

"She left me," he whispered. "I don't even know why. She wouldn't even say anything."

"She must be hurting just as much," Satsuki tried to reason.

"She gets a new guardian and this happens. Am I not good enough?" He looked Satsuki in the eye.

"She didn't have a choice," Satsuki said. She had heard a portion of the conversation she had with her guardian. She had begged for her guardian to let her be with Daiki, but he refused and said she had new responsibilities. That she wouldn't have time for Daiki or anyone for that matter. She had heard that she should be happy that she would be married and have a family; that she would be set for life. "Her guardian has betrothed her to someone else, Dai-kun. She was forced to break ties with you. She loves you."

"She would find a way past this," he reasoned.

"It was you or her brother," Satsuki told him. "Even if she picked you over her brother, he would have sent her away and you wouldn't be able to see her. She is always being watched. She told me this once. It was a hurried whisper, but I heard it. She is escorted everywhere. They were told to keep her away from you."

He crumbled. Was he really to be denied the happiness he found with her?

"Higurashi-sama, it is time for classes," the male said. She stood and didn't bother to hide her tears. Instead she walked into class with her constant shadow. She took her seat and he sat near her. There were whispers since she didn't come in with Aomine. She looked to be crying and they wondered if Aomine had broken up with her. When he came in just as heart broken, they wondered what could have happened to the couple. They were what others strived to be.

Author's note: My heart broke as I wrote this. Please don't be mad at me.


	18. Broken Arrow

Chapter 18: Broken Arrow

They noticed the change and it put people on edge. Kagome didn't smile anymore and Daiki seemed more irritable. He was missing more class now. He would hide away, but he was always at practice. It had already been two weeks since the start of the year. Kagome was still serious about being captain. She helped everyone, but she didn't speak a lot to anyone, especially Aomine. He had been so tempted to throw his arm around her shoulders and joke around with her, but that male was always around her, calling her Higurashi-sama and reminding her about one thing or another. She looked tired and sad, and it further made his heart hurt. Knowing that her guardian was refusing her happiness made him sad and angry. She was obviously not sleeping much, or eating much. She looked to have lost weight, and she looked stressed. Her complexion was pale and she looked like she was sick.

His head shot up when he heard a thump. They all turned to see that Kagome had collapsed. Her face was flushed. He made to approach her, but he was shoved aside and that strange male was at her side. He picked her up and left the room to take her to the nurse's office. He could hear everyone else murmuring. They were wondering what was wrong with her. She had never been sick since they knew her.

He was called. It turned out that Kagome had collapsed at school. He scowled and got up to leave. He made it to her school in no time and easily walked into the nurse's office to see her laying on a cot. Her face was flushed. The nurse looked at him, a worried look on her face.

"Has she been eating recently?"

"Hn. Food is always available to her."

"But has she eaten?" He thought back on the time she had been in his presence. She barely ate anything. She was well hydrated. He had noticed that she had lost weight. He thought it was because she was more active now.

"Hn."

"She needs to eat more. She has gotten sick because of it. She will also need more rest." He nodded his understanding. "Is there anything that has changed in her life?"

"Hn. Her mother and grandfather died during the break, and she recently broke up with her romantic interest."

"She is depressed as well then, which would explain her lack of hunger," the nurse said. "You can take her home now." He signaled for the male that brought her to the nurse to go back to class.

Satsuki noticed the changes as well. She was worried about Kagome and Daiki, but every time anyone moved to talk to Kagome, the male would send them a dirty look and they would withdraw. She had even tried to talk to her, but he would interrupt and tell her she had something she needed to take care of. She missed hanging out with Kagome. She missed Kagome smiling and happy with Daiki. From her understanding, Kagome's guardian had betrothed her to some other male. She hadn't heard a name. She was sure Kagome didn't even know who it was.

She watched from the window as Kagome was carried away by a tall male known in the business world as one Taisho Sesshomaru. He always seemed cold and emotionless, and it was a surprise that someone like him knew Kagome. But it seemed he was doing more harm than good when it came to Kagome. To see such a decline in her friend, and to see that she wasn't even allowed to interact with anyone on a friendly basis made her sad.

She looked to see that her decline had affected Daiki. He was clasping where his heart was, a pained look on his face. It seemed like he was in physical pain from seeing her like that.

Sesshomaru made it home with her. She had woken up and was looking away from him and out a window. Her eyes held none of the spark he had gotten used to and her weight was slight. He had read somewhere that sometimes, human feelings dictated health. She seemed to be sick. Her depression could kill her if she didn't eat.

"You need to eat, Miko," he stated. "You are sick because you haven't been eating."

"I'm not hungry," she whispered. She didn't have the energy to talk louder or to do much of anything. She just wanted to go to sleep and never wake up. Maybe then the pain in her chest would go away.

"I wasn't asking, Miko. You will eat." He placed food in front of her, but she didn't even reach to mess with it. Her hands stayed in her lap and her sight was out the window, away from him. "Do you want to waste away and die?"

"If it made this pain go away, then yes." He scowled and stormed out of the room. A maid was nearby to look after her. After a while, Kagome stood from the chair and slowly made her way to her room. The maid was with her to make sure nothing happened to her. She got to her room and sat in the window seat, looking out towards the forest.

Souta got home to see Sesshomaru waiting for him. There was a plate of food next to him, still warm from what he could see. He didn't know how to interact with this man. His sister had told him that he was a yokai.

"Your sister isn't eating. Get her to eat." He took the offered plate and utensils. He walked up the stairs with Sesshomaru following him. He entered her room and placed the plate down before closing the door. He wanted to feel some semblance of privacy.

"Ane, you need to eat." He looked at her, but she didn't seem to move. He would have thought her dead, if not for the subtle movements of her breathing.

"I'm not hungry." She didn't move her sight.

"You are worrying me." He was worried about her. He didn't lie there. "Is Aomine-san really having this effect on you?"

"It hurts, Souta. It feels like a part of me was ripped out of me." She knew Sesshomaru was listening in. "My heart aches, and I feel like I have lost the will to live." She looked him in the eyes, and he almost cried at what he saw. It was like she was dead. There was no light in her eyes, no flame burning. "It feels like I was once whole and day by day a part of me withers away. I can't eat and I can't sleep."

Souta could feel his heart breaking. He knew his mother would not have wanted this for her. She would have wanted them to be happy, but Kagome was being denied the one thing that made her happy. He couldn't help but hate the male that was doing this to her. "Please eat something, even if it is a little. I don't want you to get sicker, and I know that it has to hurt Aomine-san to see you like this." He placed the plate in her lap.

She broke down crying and he moved the plate so it wouldn't end up on the floor. "I love him, Souta. Why can't I be with him?" He hugged her as she cried. When she stopped, it was because exhaustion claimed her. He made sure she wouldn't fall from the window seat before picking up the now cold food from the table. He left the room and closed the door. He saw Sesshomaru and he glared at him.

"I hate you. You are killing my sister." He walked off after saying that.

Sesshomaru watched him leave before entering Kagome's room. He picked her up from the window seat and moved to her bed. He placed her on it and left, directing a maid to change her into her sleep clothes. She nodded and did so after he was out of sight. She knew that the girl had a broken heart. She could try to heal it as she slept, but you can't heal a broken heart, you can only numb the pain temporarily.

He couldn't sleep that night and he just didn't feel hungry. It had worried his mother. He hadn't told her what had happened with Kagome. She had even asked when was the next time Kagome could come over for dinner. He had told her he didn't know and excused himself. He couldn't tell her that the love of his life was being forced to never talk or see him again. Satsuki told him she was in a forced engagement. Satsuki didn't know who she was engaged to because Kagome didn't know. Kagome had somehow managed to talk to Satsuki.

He rolled onto his back. A month ago, Kagome had been his. He had been lying in his bed with her in his arms and he missed that feeling. There was an ever-present ache in his heart. It physically hurt him and he didn't know what to do. If he felt it, it must have been worse for her.

There was a knock at his door and his mother said it was time for dinner. He went down and took his seat before noticing the male sitting at the table with his parents. He couldn't help but glare at him. He was the reason Kagome had left him. He was keeping her from him. His parents seemed to notice his glare and the male raised a brow at him.

"Dai-kun, stop," his mother reprimanded, but he couldn't. He truly hated this male for what he was putting Kagome through.

"No," he said. He wasn't usually one to go against his mother, but he couldn't sit here with this man. "He took Kagome away from me. He made her break off our engagement. He made it so I can't even talk to her, so that no one can talk to her. She is sick and she lost weight since being with him. She hasn't smiled, hasn't said anything aside from what is required of her." He was angry and hurting. "She is miserable and it hurts me seeing her like that." He was breathing hard.

They looked at this male. They knew him. They hadn't known that he was Kagome's guardian now. They were worried about the girl.

"Hn. I will be transferring her to another school. You will not have to worry about your emotional pain anymore." He stood from the table, knowing he wasn't welcome here anymore. "Good evening." He left their residence.

"Dai-kun." His mother hugged him. He was crying. It hurt them to see their son like this. They had really liked Kagome and had been looking forward to calling her their daughter. Now, now they weren't going to get the chance.

"Perhaps a change in scene will be good for you," Sesshomaru told her. "I was going to keep you at Touo for the year, but you can't seem to focus there." She was looking out the window. "You will be staying there until you graduate." She looked at him, dead eyes staring at him. "You will not be seeing Aomine or your brother." She said nothing, instead looking back out the window. "Your food intake will be monitored. You are to maintain your grades. If not, I will be forced to send you overseas for university under heavy watch."

She said nothing. She was broken. Everything was being taken away from her. She couldn't even see her brother anymore, and because of all of it, she refused to speak. She was a hollow of what she used to be.

"You will be meeting your betrothed when you get to the school. Behave yourself." He didn't get a reaction out of her. She was completely blank and looked very much like a life-sized doll. He scowled at her behavior.

The car pulled up to the school and he got out before she did. She had a single suitcase. Her uniforms were already in the dorm she would be staying in. She stood next to him, her appearance was perfect. She had dressed herself, but the maids had made sure she looked perfect. He had the daughter of one of the maids going to school here. She was to see to Kagome's appearance.

He had been told by his parents that he would be meeting his betrothed today. He was standing in front of the school with his parents. Both were extremely severe. He was expected to be perfect, and everything in his life was to be perfect, wife included. It was a few minutes later that a black car pulled up. Out stepped the imposing figure of one Taisho Sesshomaru. He was tall and broad. Behind him stepped out a smaller form. He looked to the girl to see a face he recognized, but this couldn't be right. She looked so broken, and there was none of what he thought was attractive about her. Yes, she was beautiful, but there was no fire in her eyes. He could have also sworn that she was dating Aomine.

"Higurashi?" He asked once getting his thoughts together.

Akashi-san," she greeted, a bit surprised but it quickly faded into the dead look in her eyes.

"So, you know each other," his mother said snidely. "How… Nice."

"Seijuro, show her around," his father told him. He nodded.

"Go," Sesshomaru directed her. She walked off with the red head.

"You described her differently," his father addressed Sesshomaru.

"She lost her family not long ago," he told them. "She hasn't shaken it quite yet. She usually has more life in her." He nodded, accepting his answer.

His mother had looked her over and thought she wasn't good enough for her son. She was a slip of a girl. She had to find an end to this foul engagement.


	19. Rakuzan and Kagome

Chapter 19: Rakuzan and Kagome

He looked at her as he showed her around. She didn't say anything and the dead look in her eyes didn't leave. He hated seeing her like this. He stopped and took out his phone. He knew she would be watched, but no one was around, so he drew out his phone and dialed Aomine's number before placing the phone to her ear. There was a gruff hello and tears came to her eyes before she took hold of his phone.

"Dai-kun," she whispered. Her tears started to fall.

"Gome." He sounded shocked. "Where are you?"

"I miss you." She clasped the phone like it was her life line. "I'm sorry about all of this. Sesshomaru wouldn't listen to me. I begged him to not do this, but he gets what he wants."

"I know. How are you doing?" He was eager to hear from her. It had been too long since he heard her voice.

"Not good. I want to see you, but Sesshomaru would never allow it." She looked around as the female she knew was working for Sesshomaru started to approach. "I have to go. I will try to talk to you again later. I love you." She hung up and Akashi took the phone without the female seeing. She dried her eyes and Akashi took her hand, pulling her away from the female and further into the school.

"You have no choice in this as well," he commented.

"I don't," she admitted.

"Play for the basketball team. I know you can play. If you do, you will be able to see Aomine." She nodded as he pulled her towards the gym, where the team would be waiting. He entered and the team looked at him and the female. She pulled her hand free and picked up a basketball. She dribbled it and took aim before shooting. It went in without issue. She grabbed another and practiced her quick dribbling before shooting again. "This is our fifth player, and my betrothed, Higurashi Kagome."

"Please take care of me." She bowed slightly.

A male came and walked around her. He had the longest hair of the males and slate grey eyes. He was looking over her and was messing with a bit of her hair. He got back in front of her and looked into her eyes. He seemed to be thinking.

"I shall take you under my wing," he told her. "I am Mibuchi Reo, but you can call me Ane." He wrapped an arm around her. "Everyone else does."

"Hayama Kotaro," the mischeivious male said.

"Nebuya Eikichi," the tallest male introduced. The coach was off to the side, watching how they interacted with the female. She seemed sad, but reserved. She had to be smart and good at the game for Akashi to have her join the team. From the little he saw, he could tell she was skilled.

"Hn. I am your coach, Shirogane Eiji." He looked her over. "Welcome to the team."

"Thank you." She bowed formally.

"This is where you are, Higurashi-sama," a tall male said as he strode into the gym. He was even taller than Nebuya, but thinner in frame. "Taisho-sama charged me with your protection."

"Hiroshi-san," she looked at the much taller male. "You and he know I am capable of defending myself."

"I am following orders," he said. He looked stern. "Himuri-san is also to see to you. You shouldn't ditch her." He was scolding her like she was a misbehaving child.

"And I am spending time with my betrothed, as he wants," she scoffed back, anger clear on her face.

"At any rate, it is time for you to go to the office and get your schedule. Himuri-san will take you to your room to get changed into your uniform." He placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed her towards the door.

"I'll see you guys at practice," she yelled back at her teammates as she was forced to leave.

"He seemed to have a stick in his ass," Hayama commented.

"Hn. Anyone that works for Taisho seems that way," Akashi said as he followed after the two. She seemed irritated with the male. And he could see just how controlling Sesshomaru was.

She looked at the room that was going to be just hers. It was a good size. All that was in her room really, was a school uniform for every day and two outfits. She would need to go get basketball shoes and clothes for practice, since Sesshomaru had not taken that into account. She would be spending about all her time at this school, from her understanding. She wouldn't be allowed to see her brother for who knew how long.

She dressed in the uniform, everything looking perfect and not a hair out of place. She put on her shoes and looked herself over in the mirror before moving to the hall. Himuri and Hiroshi were waiting for her. She sighed and walked down the hall with them towards the school. She was going to ignore them to the best of her ability.

She came into class and took her seat with Akashi next to her. She had done a brief introduction and the day's lessons began. Kagome took notes as the teacher lectured. The others looked to be taking notes as well.

The teacher handed out a test and Kagome looked it over. It seemed harder than what Touo would give, but she already knew this. She looked through the test and managed to finish it with no issues. She turned it in and started to read a book while everyone else finished up the test. Akashi soon finished as well and looked at her. It would seem he had some competition. He smirked.

Classes ended and she sighed as she walked with Akashi and the rest of the team. Hiroshi was following them and Kagome had sent Himuri to get her clothes to practice in and two sets of basketball shoes. She really needed them.

Reo was talking to her, a smile on his face. He had his arm around her shoulders and was telling her things that the team liked doing together. Hiroshi was glaring at the male, but did nothing. She had already zapped him in warning. He would be telling Taisho-sama about this.

"Higurashi-sama, I got what you requested," Himuri said as she ran towards them. She held out the bags.

"Thank you." She took the bags and looked inside. Sports bras, loose fitting tanks and shorts and gym socks and shoes in the right size. She moved into a separate area of the locker room that Reo took the time to put a curtain around. She closed it and changed. She came out tying her hair into a high ponytail. She moved with the team out to the court for some drills.

Hiroshi looked at her as he pulled out his phone. Himuri was standing next to him as he spoke on the phone with Sesshomaru. He said to leave the matter alone. She was at last spending time with her betrothed.

Time did pass quickly. She got close to the members of the team and spent some weekends usually with Akashi or with Reo. Reo had been appalled by the lack of clothes she had at school, and would often take her to go shopping for a new outfit, even if she told him, she didn't need any more clothes. He insisted on it.

"We have a match for the interhigh coming up," Akashi said. They were in the gym, Hiroshi there. He had decided to join the basketball team. It seemed like fun, even if he was serious all the time, and it made it easier to keep track of her.

"Who is it against?" Kagome was stretching, Reo pushing her forward slightly.

"Touo," he said. "Our earlier matches have been easy. This is the quarter finals after all." She nodded as she stood and Reo switched places. She pushed him forward slightly. "You will get to see Aomine face to face." She nodded.

"Higurashi-sama," Hiroshi said as he tried to warn her.

"I know my priorities." She scoffed back at him.

Reo looked at him with a scowl. He couldn't stand the male. He was always trying to control everything Kagome did, or making threats to her to tell Taisho-sama about her misbehaving. She would always scowl and reprimand him. She was fun to hang out with and he knew more about her than anyone else on the team.

"Aomine has a tendency to push himself too hard. With me not there to monitor him, I know he will injure himself during the match. His knees can't keep up with his growth." They nodded. They had seen a match and he could be intense.

"You think he will get injured during the game," Akashi said.

"I know he will get injured during the game," she remarked. "They are alright players, but they relied a lot on me and Aomine. If they couldn't recruit power players, they won't have much of a chance against us." They nodded. It was a sad truth.

"Seirin will be the one to beat in the finals," Akashi said.

"I see they recovered from the match I had with them," Kagome said. "They won't win this time either." They seemed to nod.

"In any case," Akashi started, "I don't see how we can lose. Not many people can handle the way our team plays."

"Kago-chan is hard to handle," Reo pointed out. "It will take a man of real skill to handle her." He shrugged, a smile on his face.

"I do not see Aomine playing the whole game," Kagome said to change the subject. She could tell Reo made a jab at Hiroshi. The demon male was close to attacking the feminine male. "He will push himself too hard against me. The longest I see him playing is maybe until the half." Akashi nodded. She was somewhat back to normal. She was still cold to a lot of people. The only ones she was close to was the basketball team. The females glared and said nasty things about her, while the males made passes at her every chance they got. It resulted in Hiroshi almost losing his temper, until she handled the situation and coldly and bluntly as she could. You would think they would leave her alone after her stating she was already engaged to the red-haired captain of the basketball team. She never had this problem at Touo.

"What will you do?" Akashi asked her, watching her face for anything that could give her away.

"What I have to," she stated easily. He seemed to accept the answer because he nodded his understanding.

"We have a big day ahead of us. Go get some rest," Akashi dismissed.

Kagome stood with help from Reo. He was always a gentleman with her, holding doors open for her, helping her up, occasionally carrying her books for her, though she told him she could do it herself. They gossiped a lot and would often be found laughing together before and after practices. Hiroshi hated him the most.

Reo grabbed her gym bag and held the door open for her. He often walked her to her room so they could chat more. He understood that she did respect Akashi and could have possibly loved him, if the situation had been different. But she loved Daiki. Reo was her best friend and she did get along with Akashi. They would occasionally play go or shogi or chess, to pass the time. She hadn't been allowed to go home and visit Souta. Instead, she would hang out with Reo or Akashi on the weekends there was no school. Akashi's step mother, she learned, didn't like her. His father treated her coldly, but cordially. It was probably because she was Sesshomaru's heir. The she-beast known as Akashi's step mother, addressed her snidely and looked down at her. Kagome could care less.

"Kagome," Reo said as they stopped at her door. "What will you be doing during the short break after the inter high?"

"Well, Sesshomaru won't let me visit Souta. I will probably end up staying here if Akashi doesn't invite me to stay with his family for the short break." She opened her door and Reo placed her gym bag down. "His step mother hates me, so I am hoping he doesn't invite me, but knowing his father, he will make him invite me." Reo nodded as he sat in the chair near her desk.

"I will have to steal you away occasionally then," he commented. "Can't have that harpy driving you insane." Kagome smiled at the comment. Reo really made her time here enjoyable.

"Akashi will probably tag along," she commented.

"I do pity him, having to put up with that woman." He was scowling. "I know she was his mother's twin, but how she treats him is ridiculous."

"I know." She wanted to flop on her bed, but she was sweaty. Instead she flopped across the couch in her room. "Last time I went over, she berated me and insulted me, until his father showed up. She says I am not good enough for Akashi."

"Oh, please," he scoffed. "If anyone is not good enough for him, it is her." Kagome giggled. "I'll leave you to get showered and do your homework. I'll come by later for us to go to dinner." She nodded and saw him out of her room before she jumped in the shower and dressed. She was glad to have someone like Reo around.


	20. Rakuzan Versus Touo

Chapter 20: Rakuzan Versus Touo

She was up early and in the kitchen the school provided. She had gone to a grocery store that opened early and got what she would need for her tea, the team's rejuvenating lemons and drink, the baked goods she knew she would need for Atsushi, and items for her first aid kit. She was currently brewing her tea while the lemons marinated, and the pastries baked. Her bag was on the counter. Her first aid kit restocked, the marinated lemons sitting in it with her basketball shoes and a pair of clothes to change into after the game. She was in her sweats, her uniform under her clothes.

The timer went off and she dumped her tea into the thermos. The team's drink was almost done, and she could smell the pastries. They were almost done baking.

"I figured you would be here, Kagome-sama," Himuri said as she entered the kitchen. She had a clipboard on her.

"Just getting ready for the game," Kagome said as she pulled the pastries from the oven. It was a batch of her strawberry cheesecake tarts, some blueberry muffins, and some chocolate chip cookies. She placed them on the cooling rack as she poured the team's drink into a different colored thermos. She looked at the time and placed the pastries in the empty container. Once that was done, she placed it in a container with ice before placing it in her bag and zipping it up. She pulled it onto her shoulder and walked out of the kitchen with Himuri. Hiroshi was waiting with the team at the gate waiting for the bus to show. Reo was quick to take her bag from her and start up a conversation. She smiled and laughed with him. She sat next to Akashi on the bus and just continued to talk to Reo. Nebuya was sleeping and Hayama was looking through a magazine. Himuri sat next to Hiroshi and he was grumbling about the whole situation.

When they arrived, they made their way to the locker room. Reo made the area for Kagome's use and she moved into the area, Himuri fussing over her. She waved her off. She knew the game before theirs was underway. She was slowing her breathing and steading her heartbeat. She was nervous to see Daiki. She opened her eyes when they were told it was time for them to warm up. She moved with them and looked at the basket. There were many that were confused over a girl warming up, until there were murmurs from other teams, saying who she was. Some became disheartened. How could they beat Rakuzan now?

He looked over to see her on Rakuzan's team. His heart ached at the sight of her, and he knew now who she was betrothed to. He sighed and dunked the ball, making his call out. It was received and answered by Kagome. She delivered a full court shot into the basket Touo was using to warm up with. They looked at her and she turned away. There was a hush through the auditorium. It was a clear warning that Touo would have to give it their all if they had a thread of hope to win.

They went back to the locker room after their warm up, waiting for this game to come. She was doing everything in her power to keep her muscles warm and her mind focused. Their game would start soon.

"Game time," Akashi said, and she stood. Himuri grabbed her bag and walked out with them. The coach was with him. She pulled her sweats off and did a quick warm up before they got in a line and they bowed. The game started.

She moved into position and Nebuya was quick to tip the ball towards her. She quickly moved down the court, staying ahead of Touo's players. Daiki was right next to her and she easily passed to Hayama. He dribbled down the court and easily passed back to her. She shot the ball. It went in and she turned back towards the other end of the court. She could hear Daiki traveling down the court and easily turned to confront him. He was going as hard as he could, and she was right there with him. She blocked him, and Akashi started down the court. He passed the other Touo players before easily scoring. She already knew she was covering Daiki. He was going as hard as he could, and she could already see the added strain the quick game play put on his knees. The first quarter ended quickly, and they drank the drink she provided and ate a few lemons as Akashi spoke to them. She kept her eyes on Daiki. He was trying to hide the pain he was feeling.

"He will go out sooner than expected," she said off handedly. "It will be an easy game after that." They nodded as the game was called back into action. She watched as he went to shoot but his knees gave out and he couldn't get back up. The ref called a time out and she looked to Hayama. He went and grabbed her first aid kit and she knelt next to the fallen ace.

"Kagome-sama, Sesshomaru-sama won't…"

She glared at him. "Do you think I care?" She shocked him with a bit of her power before taking her first aid kit out. He was silenced. He would be sure to tell Sesshomaru about this.

"Kagome?" He looked at her as she pulled things from her first aid kit. She easily ignored him and applied the paste to his knees before wrapping them.

"You pushed yourself too hard," she commented. "It would be unwise for you to continue, that is if you could even stand after this." She finished wrapping his knees and stood when she was done. Two of his team mates pulled him onto their shoulders and dragged him back to the bench. He hung his head as the game picked back up. They were as good as defeated now.

Momoi looked at Daiki and the team helped her get him to a doctor's office. She was in the office with him, their team sitting in the waiting room.

"Whoever wrapped his knees, knew what they were doing," the man commented. "The paste numbed the pain and uses herbs that aid in healing. The way they wrapped his knees makes sure that the pain is minimized and moved away from the foot. Ice your knees and rest are all I can prescribe until the swelling goes down. Try to rest and come back when the swelling goes down, so I can determine how bad the damage is." He grumbled and took the prescription that was handed to him. He would fill it on his way home.

"So?" The team asked.

"He needs to rest," Momoi said. "He can't give a definitive answer for Daiki's knees." They nodded. It was a hit to their team, but they were also out of the finals.


End file.
